


Feline Too Comfortable In The Enemies’ Clutches

by Wisteriona



Category: Dr. STONE (Anime), Dr. STONE (Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cat! Stanley Snyder, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Jealousy, M/M, Medusa - Freeform, Slice of Life, Stone Age, Time Travel, Treasure Island, kingdom of science - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2021-01-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:28:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 38,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28313823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wisteriona/pseuds/Wisteriona
Summary: The last thing Stanley remembered was going to bed for the night after failing to stop Senku and the junior science team from escaping with Xeno on their motorcycles, when he woke up he was in the middle of the woods, but somehow everything looks bigger than normal. There he met the last face he ever wanted to see.🐾🐾🐾While looking for oil, Senku wandered into the woods for supplies and stumbled upon an unlikely animal out in the wilderness.
Relationships: Ishigami Senkuu & Shishiou Tsukasa, Ishigami Senkuu/Stanley Snyder, Stanley Snyder & Dr. Xeno
Comments: 25
Kudos: 81





	1. Maudit

**Author's Note:**

> Dr Stone belongs to Riichiro Inagaki.

He failed! AGAIN!!

How?! Just how is that science brat always one step ahead of him?! He was Captain Stanley Snyder! He never fails! But ever since Senku and his band of brats showed up, it was one failure after another. The bastard broke his perfect, clean record! Kidnap his one and only childhood friend! And he had left Stanley in the dust as he and his group sped off on their motorcycles.

He hated it. He despised that smug, arrogant, bastard! Stanley had already been through four cigarettes since their escape, that was how much the whole ordeal was affecting him. He was also running low on his precious cigarettes, Xeno wasn’t around to make him more and the consumption per day had increased. At least the depetrification process had cleared out his lungs so he had the pleasure of messing them all up again. Which won’t take that long considering how often he is smoking now. All thanks to Senku! Just thinking about the brat left a bitter taste in his mouth. 

Xeno was gone. He failed to protect his best friend. He never thought in all his life, not with the countless dangers he’s faced as a soldier, that he would lose to a weak, unarmed kid from a country that doesn’t even have an actual army. Senku Ishigami made him a failure, and no matter how things play out in the future, the damage was already done. He had said “I can.”, but in the end he couldn’t. Senku lived because of his arrogance and Xeno was a hostage thanks to him. This fact had haunted his dreams for every night since the group had departed to South America and that night after he had let them escaped him again was no different.

Stanley was tired and stressed out, more than he would ever admit to be. Sleep was more like a distant dream right now. Not that he wanted to sleep, he wanted to go after those damn brats and get his friends back. The next time he sees Senku, he’ll make sure personally that the boy will draw his last breath. He wants to see the light fade from those disgusting red eyes himself. That night he drifted off to sleep, the soldier had a nice and pleasant dream where he strangled the young scientist to death.

🐾🐾🐾

Cold, Stanley felt a lot colder than when he fell asleep. Maybe he had left a window open and a draft was let in. Still, it didn’t explain why his bed was so much rougher and bumpier than he remembered. Groggily opening his eyes, trying to adjust to the light that streamed into them he was not really a morning person, even if he always slept half awake during his times in the field. In his defense, it was the most calming sleep he had in a while, Xeno’s capture had made it even harder for him to properly rest.

After letting out an...oddly enough, feline-like yawn, the man began to take in his surroundings. Much to his shock and confusion, Stanley found himself to no longer be on the Perseus, rather he was in the middle of an unknown forest, which were bigger than normal. It didn’t look like the plains he saw when they arrived in South America. That and it was strangely too cold to be only a few distance away from the place he was previously at, almost like he was transported to an entirely different part of the world.

Thanks to all his time as a military officer, the man was able to stay calm and rational. Firstly he needed to find out where he was and how he got there. Stan moved to stand up, but something felt off. He couldn’t stand up, his body ended up falling forward and he only caught himself by standing on all fours paws...WAIT! PAWS?!?... 

[HOLY SHIT!! WHAT HAPPENED TO ME?!] Double shit! He couldn’t speak for some reason.

He wasn’t panicking before, but he sure as heck was starting to feel panicked now. This was like that day he was petrified all over again, Stanley doesn’t know what exactly to do in such a predicament. Worse, then he had Xeno to break him free and advise him to stay conscious, but now he was alone. He had transformed into some kind of tiny, four-legged, furry animal thing, stuck in a place he was unfamiliar with, completely bare and unarmed he might add. Just what the hell happened while he was asleep? It doesn’t make any sense.

Fortunately for the former soldier there was a puddle nearby. He only needed one look at his own reflection to have all the breaths in his lung leave his body. He was a cat. STANLEY SNYDER HAD TURNED INTO A SILVER TABBY CAT! His reality was literally falling apart... Turning to stone was ridiculous, losing to a bunch of brat was unbelievable, becoming a cat was just beyond reason. Nothing’s making sense anymore.

[What the hell am I supposed to do about this? Shit! If I’m here, then who’s going to catch that Senku brat and save Xeno?!] 

He didn’t seemed to realize that he had his guard lowered as he continued to stared at his own reflection. The constant streamed of questions kept his mind occupied and even after regaining some mental control, Stanley saw no light at the end of this tunnel. How was he supposed to reverse something like this? Normally if something goes wrong and he’s got no solution, then he’s consult Xeno, but Xeno’s been compromised and he’s in a vulnerable state when it was meant to be his responsibility to save his friend in the first place. All these problems stopped him from hearing the sounds of footsteps slowly approaching on his position. Luckily he was still mentally a highly trained man and recognized an air of danger looming overhead.

[Fuck! What now?] Stanley needed a smoke real bad.

🐾🐾🐾

They needed more hemp, but everybody was busy making the cloth for the balloon. The only one who still had time to spare was Senku and Gen. It didn’t seemed like a big deal at the time, Kaseki could easily hold down the fort for the crafting of the basket and burners. Besides it’s not like they’ll be gone for very long. 

It had gone perfectly fine, they had collected the hemp they needed and were simply making their way back to Tsukasa’s empire to put the finishing touches for the balloon. Things only went wrong when Gen had accidentally tripped and fell off a ledge. Fortunately for the mentalist it hadn’t been that high up and he’d fallen on some thick foliage. They were separated, but they both knew their way back.

”Just get back to base. I can make my way back on my own. You need to get your bruise and cuts treated.” Senku called out from the ledge to Gen’s limping figure as he walked off in the direction of their base. “Should probably get going myself before it gets too dark.” 

The walk back was pretty uneventful. As he made his way back, Senku started to contemplate everything that was going on. Tsukasa was still frozen, but it was only a matter of time. Senku knew that he couldn’t leave his friend like that forever. They needed to find the source of the petrification.

”Heh, friend...” He was never mad at his former enemy turned friend. In all honesty, Senku actually understood why he had felt the way he did. Even if he had suffered from those reasons, he was the one that got his neck snapped after all, Senku couldn’t help but sympathize with Tsukasa. Plus anger and holding a grudge was just a waste of time and energy, it’s on the same level of irrationality as love. Senku didn’t need any of that. “Good extortion material though.”

As he walked the sky grew darker, Senku knew better than to be alone in this stone world in the middle of woods at night. He’d be prey for any roaming predators for sure. Best to move quickly, they still needed the hemp to finish the balloon. If there are no complications they should be ready to lift off by tomorrow night. Just the thought of that achievement alone was exhilarating. Senku was getting excited. 

The albino’s thought process was brought to an abrupt end when he hears a low growl a little too close to where he stood for his comfort. Senku felt himself jumped when a rustling sound came from the nearby bushes. Seconds after hearing it a small figure dashed out of the shrubbery and crashed right into his leg. It caused the teen to stumble back a few steps. Looking down, Senku spotted a cat, specifically a tabby cat, about 16 inches in size. The crash seemed to have hurt its head when it collided with his leg, it kept trying to shake it off. The teen was still processing the likelihood of cats having survived 3700 years in a nature dominated world. Domestic animals should’ve been killed off humans were out of the picture.

[But then again, Chalk had to have been descended from domestic dogs. So maybe this cat did as well?]

His thoughts were once again interrupted when something moved from the same bushes the cat had ran out from. This one was definitely not a cat, it was large and black and clearly aggressive. A black bear, just his “nonexistent” luck. Well, a black bear’s far better than a grizzly. It must’ve been chasing the cat, that would explain the multiple cuts and injuries the feline had. One ear was even partially torn off. The cat didn’t look like it could continue to stand for much longer. Now the bear had its attention on Senku, staring the boy down.

Pushing down his fears and forcing his hand to cease its trembling, the albino boy stood straight and tall to make himself look bigger. Red eyes bore holes at the animal, holding its glare. Senku reached into one of his many pouches and pulled out one of the remaining stone swallows from his fight with Hyoga and chucked it at the beast.

”HEY! SCRAM!!” He raised his voice as kept throwing stone swallows at the bear. The creature already looking unsure whether it should continue to pursue its prey. “GET OUT OF HERE YOU STUPID BEAR!” Grabbing a nearby stick, the boy moved to flail his arms around widely. The display was just enough to convince the animal to retreat. Only once it was it completely out of sight did Senku find his breath again. The amount of relief made his knees weak and he staggered to a nearby tree, sitting against the trunk and try at regaining his calm state of mind. The number of times he’s been close to death is unbelievable, yet he’s still not used to it. He could only laugh a humorless laugh about it.

Once he finally calmed down, the boy looked down at the cat, the source of his troubles in the first place. The tabby was laying on its side, bleeding more than what can be considered as okay. From the angle he was looking, Senku could properly identify the feline as a male. His chest rise and fell at an uneven pace, the teen could tell that the little guy would die if he just leave ‘em like that. It felt immoral to just let the small animal die even if it really wasn’t his problem. Still if it was anyone else he knew, they probably take the feline in in a heartbeat. It didn’t help that he looked adorably pathetic bleeding to death. He definitely hate this unreasonable guilt he was feeling. 

”It’s just a cat. How hard can it be to look after one cat?” 

The boy unraveled the bandages around his left arm and moved towards the cat. He hissed at him as he got closer, Senku simply rolled his eyes. He was a little impressed that the feline was still conscious, conscious but delirious from the blood loss. He kept trying to paw and scratch weakly at him as he wrapped the bandages over the gash on his belly. The poor thing must’ve been scared of him. The cat was cute in a sad, pitiful manner, Senku was willing to admit that much. He was definitely a stubborn fighter too, his tiny paws kept wriggling and trying to break free, a futile effort, as the teen carefully picked him up into his arms. 

“Calm down, okay? I’m just trying to help.” Running a hand soothingly across his back, Senku unintentionally smiled as he watched the feline relaxed as he lulled his head closer to the boy’s chest, nuzzling against him. “I guess your kind of cute...” The young scientist carefully cradled the wounded animal in his arm and continued on his journey back to the Tsukasa Empire. This time being extra cautious to not alert any nearby predators. 

🐾🐾🐾

His day was absolute shit! First he turned into a cat. Then he got chased by one predator after the next. Had it been anyone else, they would’ve certainly died, no normal cat can survived being chased an entire day by multiple apex predators. But even when he couldn’t fight back or kill his attackers, Stan was still agile and nimble enough to evade and hide from them. Though he didn’t come out of it completely unscathed, his small body had sustained multiple injuries, his right ear was partially bitten off by a pack of wolves, so he can no longer hear properly from there. He was bleeding so much that his senses had started going numb, the blood had dropped a little into his eyes and it made him temporarily blind.

Things couldn’t have gone worse, he was already exhausted and hungry from running and hiding all day long. This cat body didn’t have the same endurance that his human body did. He didn’t need to be chased by a black bear too! Seriously, his luck was so shitty that day, like what the fuck even. Ever since that Senku brat came into his life everything had just gone downhill. Heck! He wouldn’t even be surprised if this transformation was his doing. At that point the former soldier was just running blind. He couldn’t put up a fight against the predator, not with his small body, there was little he can do besides running away. He was becoming more and more lightheaded by the minute, Stanley thought he was done for until he had bumped into something and hit his head hard. 

The man, or cat, originally presumed it to be another predator. He couldn’t really tell with his blurred vision and splitting headache. On the bright side, the thing he bumped into turned out to be a person and that person was able to chase away the bear that was chasing him. But on the other hand, the one that was constantly tormenting him throughout his first feline day, he could’ve sworn the voice he heard sounded strangely familiar. A voice he only heard a few times but always brought about a bitter taste in his mouth. But he wasn’t sure, his right ear wasn’t working properly so it might just be his imagination since his day was already crappy, only reasonable to think back to the person who made his life miserable.

When the predator was gone he felt himself finally relax. [Ahh... Thank goodness.] His consciousness was already slipping as is, too much blood already loss, still he couldn’t afford to collapse just yet. He could feel the eye of the person on his vulnerable form. Stan was still alert enough to identify the person moving towards him. [Damn it, leave me alone, whoever you are.] He hit them with his paws, trying to give them a message to stay away, but he could barely feel his own limbs.

He felt a thin piece of cloth being wrapped around his midsection, stopping the bleeding. A moment later a hand was stroking his back as he was lifted into the stranger’s arms. He wriggled futilely even as the man, he concluded the voice speaking to him was definitely male, spoke Japanese to him. Stan was fluent like Xeno with the language but he knows a good amount to understand what was being said. [Wait! Male and Japanese?! It can’t be! Can it...?] His head hurts just thinking about it.

He tried to distract himself from the pain numbing his whole body, thinking about that brat wasn’t going to help his situation. If this stranger was trying to help then it might be his best chance of living through this. The cat instead focused on the human’s scent, it was nostalgic, a good kind. This person smelled like chemicals and a faint metallic smell, it reminded him of Xeno and how his hermit of a friend never really leaving his lab. There was also the unfamiliar scent of cut grass and pinewood, but he ignored it. Stanley wanted nothing more at that moment to believe that the person carrying his injured form was his long time friend and nobody else, it distracted him from the pain, ease his mind. For the first time in a while he fell asleep feeling like everything was okay again. [This was probably just a really weird dream anyways... Yeah, a silly, stupid dream.]

...

...

...

[SHIT! It wasn’t a dream.] The silver tabby woke up in an unfamiliar hut. It was mostly bare, bar the single bed he was laying on, a single desk with a bunch of paper sprawled our everywhere on top of it and a young blond girl kneeling by the bedside. [She looks kind of familiar. A lot like that other blond brat that was part of the junior science brigade.] Still, they look alike, but this girl had a far more calm air to her, while the blond he remembered seeing had a warrior-like persona.

”Awww, you’re finally awake. Are you feeling okay, kitty?” The blond gently stroke his back in a calming way. Her voice was soft and welcoming, like she was worried he’d get scared. “Poor thing. You’ve had it really rough, didn’t you, kitty? Thank goodness Senku brought you here before it was too late.”

[Kitty?] He gave her an unamused stare. [Wait a minute! Senku? As in Xeno’s disciple, Senku?!] His eyes widened and body tensed. He was in the midst of enemy territory. [Where are we exactly? When did those brats have time to build a hut? Just how far did they got away from us?] It was only a day since they escaped. It was impossible to progress so quickly, not to mention, where did the new blond even come from? Stanley didn’t remember her among the ones that escaped to South America, in fact he doesn’t even remember seeing her when they had taken the brats’ ship. [No! If I’m in enemy territory then...Xeno! I need to find Xeno!] The moment he tried to get up pain erupted all over his body. The tabby gave a harsh hiss when it felt like his wounds would reopen.

”Ah! No, don’t do that, kitty. Just rest. You’re badly hurt. You shouldn’t do anything for a couple of days.” The blond readjusted his body’s positioning into a more comfortable angle and continued to insist that he rest up.

[Wonderful. Can’t even move. Xeno might be here and I can’t do anything!] He couldn’t help but berate himself. His friend was so close. He just needed to do...well, something. There was no way he would lay still until he sees that Xeno was safe and well. Screw his health, he was a military officer, this pain is practically nothing, his best friend was far more important. 

“No. No, kitty please don’t do that.” She tried to grab at him when he attempted to move again, but Stan gave a warning hiss when before she could touch him. That small act of defiance made her pull away, but he could see the sadness in her blue eyes. She genuinely pity him. It was kind of humiliating for him.

”Seems like our new tiny companion regained consciousness.” That voice. He may have been delirious before and assumed he imagined it, but now he’s certain. There was no doubt about it, not when his blue eyes fell to a pair of deep red ones, belonging to a teenage boy with albino hair accented with dark green tips that just entered the hut. Stanley felt the bitterness return to haunt his tastebuds. “Thanks for helping me look after him, Ruri. You should go get some sleep now. We got a big day ahead of us tomorrow.” The tabby glared as an all too familiar confident smirk stretched across the boy’s lips.


	2. Mettle

“How about Milo?” Stan hissed. “Seriously, you’re so picky.” The science brat has been trying to come up with names for him for the past hour. The boy was clearly annoyed that Stan kept turning down every single one of his suggestions, the cat hissing every time the boy tried out a new name for him. “Can I call you Tom?” Another hiss. The teen furrowed his brow at the feline. “Maybe I’ll just refer to you as kitty like Ruri originally did.” The boy was taunting him, he saw the disapproval looks he had given the blond lady when she called him kitty.

[Your lucky I’m too injured to do anything to you, brat!] Senku simply sighed in exasperation at the cat glowering at him.

”You’re a really smart cat, I almost think you can actually understand what I’m saying.” The teen examines the way the cat narrowed his blue eyes at his claims. He had noticed that the cat had payed attention to everything he said to him and seemed to know how to properly respond to him too. Of course he’s heard of cats being intelligent enough to properly identify certain behaviors from humans, but that was from exposure to human environment for long periods of time. This cat was clearly wild, like who could’ve possibly own him before Senku came? The way the feline responded to the things he say suggested he understood the speech. Not to mention he was scary observant, instead of being scared, he remained vigilant ever since the boy had entered the room. “You’re a weird, but smart cat. I kinda like that.”

The tabby gave him hateful glare. That was another thing he noticed. This cat hates him for some reason. Even when the scientist had done nothing that should be considered as hostile, the feline still treated him like he was an enemy. Before Ruri had left earlier, the little animal had attempted to pounce at him when he approached the bed. Fortunately for him the cat was still too injured to properly move around and ended up stumbling on its own front paws and slipped off the bed. Senku was close enough to catch the animal before he could collide with the ground, but it got super difficult when biting and scratching came into play. Senku had to reassure Ruri that he was fine before she would willingly leave the room.

The failed attack seemed to convince the animal that there was no point in attacking the albino, for now. Senku was at least grateful that this cat is abnormally intelligent enough to not attack a non-hostile when he’s injured, even if he hated him. He was still refused any contact with the animal, which was kind of needed when he fed him and changed his bandages. Senku ended up with new scratch scars on his hand because of that. He could’ve swore the feline smirked at him when cursed over the injuries.

”What about Lucky, you okay with that?” Stan hissed for the twentieth time that night. “Gah! Why do you hate me so much? You’re clearly being difficult on purpose.”

[Why? Why?! You kidnap and held my friend hostage! If I could speak, you won’t be hearing an end I can promise you that, brat!]

Senku sighed once more from the hateful look he received. “Why am I even helping you? I got enough on plate already.” The boy ran a tired hand across his face and hair. “I should be focusing on finding the damn oil and finishing the ship.” He sat down on the ground and leaned against the bed. The teen was dangerously close to where Stanley laid, but the feline just kept quiet and observed. He’ll act if necessary, but it was smart to not give the boy incentive to throw him back out in the wild. “Tsukasa can’t just stay frozen forever. I promised to save him and he’s counting on me, stupid bastard...”

[The hell’s this brat talking about?]

“I really have no luck, Gen was ten billion percent right about that. It’s only a matter of time till winter comes and if we don’t find the oil by then...! Not to mention we still don’t have enough ingredients to make the revival fluid. Thanks a bunch Homura. And it’s not even clear if the cause of the petrification is still in America. Getting there from Japan is already going to be crazy risky even, yet I don’t have a clue if there will be anything left in the American continent. I’m sure everyone are still doubtful about my leadership, their goal was originally to kill me after all. Nobody really wants to follow me on a trip to America, not when they could lose their life. I can’t afford to be vulnerable either. I’m the leader, if I falter then everything will surely come crashing down. I got so much to do and here I am ranting to a cat.” He gave a dry laugh.

It was nice to vocalize his worries. It’s not like the cat could understand him, so he was good. He wasn’t good at handling feelings, he was so grateful back at his father’s grave when Ruri had left him alone. It was the one time since breaking out of his stone prison that he realized how dire the situation with everything was and actually let his emotions show. He had always been logical and realistic, pushing his emotions aside because they couldn’t help him, but it’s not easy. There are times he just wants to drop everything and stare aimlessly at the sky. To just peacefully exist.

Stan could only roll his eyes at the teen as he ranted. Though he was glad he listened, the scientist gave him some useful info and some alarming ones. [We’re in Japan?! When?! Better yet, HOW?!] Senku had no reason to lie, he pretty much was assuming that Stan was just a simple cat. But what he heard didn’t make any sense. There’s no doubt that they were all just previously in South America, how did they get all the way to Japan?! That’s impossible. [What does he mean not knowing if there’s anything was left in America? We literally just declared war on each other not too long back. And what does he need a ship for? Is he trying to build a new one after we took over the last one? Sounds like a waste of time.] It wasn’t adding up, Senku was talking as if he has yet to see their group of survivors back in America. Stan still couldn’t understand how he ended up as a cat in Japan or how Senku was in Japan. He had a theory but it sounded far too unrealistic.

[Unrealistic my ass. I’ve alrea been turned to stone then turned into a cat. Time travel actually sounds plausible.] Then it dawned on him, if he was stuck back in a past timeline, does that mean there was a non cat version of himself back in America and that Xeno was not a hostage yet? He needed to look around first before he could jump to any conclusions. [But that would mean sticking around the brat and making sure he doesn’t throw me out.] Stan couldn’t stand just looking at the albino’s face. He wanted to kill him so badly, but was in no position to do so. That and sadly he actually needed him. If he’s in Japan, Senku is his sure-fire way to America. [Plus he’s a scientist and I might find a way to turn back into a human with his help, maybe even get back to my own timeline. Shit! Guess I’ll play nice for now. Gather some intel on the enemy while I’m at it.]

”I should still give you a name. Calling you cat all the time is a pain.” Stan snapped out of his thoughts to Senku petting his ear, the one that was torn and now bandaged heavily. It was begrudgingly comforting. He’ll let it slide this one time, he needed to play nice with the brat after all. “Huh. Seems like you finally calmed down. Your wounds actually looks better, you sure heal fast. Might actually be able to walk again by tomorrow afternoon at the least.” The feline held back a snarl as the teen looked him over. “Tough cat. You’re quite the survivor, kind of like a soldier.” The tabby’s ears perked up at that. “Oh? You like that? Can I call you soldier?”

[Well, it’s better than anything else he came up with. Besides I’ve been called soldier during his early military days.] Stanley nodded his head to affirm his opinion. Though that little stunt had a different affect than he originally thought.

”Can you...? Can you understand what I’m saying?” 

[Fuck! Can’t give myself away.] Senku watched as the tabby stared back at him blankly. After a couple of minutes engaging in an awkward staring contest with the silver tabby, the scientist simply brushed the incident aside as mere coincidence. Instead the boy reached over the bed and grabbed the blanket. Stanley watched him carefully, not letting a single movement leave his peripheral vision. His body tensed and ready to take action if needed.

”Calm down Soldier, I’m just setting up myself a place to sleep since I don’t want to be clawed in my sleep.” Hearing that made him relax a little, but he was still wary of the boy. 

Senku made a simple set up on the floor. That night he had to use his arm as a pillow since Stan took the liberty of claiming the pillow for himself, which the cat was very smug about when the boy caved and let him keep it. It wasn’t the most comfortable sleep he had, but it wasn’t the first time he did something like this. It only took a little while for Senku to fully succumb to his fatigue from the day’s work. Stanley on the other hand couldn’t sleep despite his sore body and heavy eyes begging him to just pass out again. It was cold, stupid Japan was too cold for his cat body to accept.

He needed some kind of warmth or he won’t get a wink of sleep that night. Unacceptable, he still needed to scout the area tomorrow when he can move again to see for sure if Xeno was here. There was one thing he could try, but he’s not sure if his pride will ever accept it. [Screw it, finding Xeno is top priority.] With that thought, Stanley forced himself to his feet and slowly staggered off the bed. He quietly positioned himself against the sleeping boy, careful to not wake him up. As he got comfortable, the tabby gave the young scientist one last hateful glare before giving in and laying his head to rest. [I swear, Xeno better pay me back probably when this is all over.]

🐾🐾🐾

He was pissed off. Senku had the nerve to just wake up and leave him. Stan still couldn’t move properly, though he was starting to feel much better, and had planned to sleep till later in the day when he will go scope the place out. But now he can’t sleep because his human heater left him. At least the brat was decent enough to leave a plate of cooked fish for him. Still he was bored out of his mind. Stanley had always been patient, he had endured much harder trials in the past, but that was because he had an end goal. Right now, he’s not sure what he’s doing. If Xeno wasn’t here then what? He’d have to find a way to get Senku to take him to America, which is what the boy seemed to already be trying to do. And if he did get to America, it’s not like he can tell Xeno he’s turned into a cat. Not to mention there might be another Stanley. The hell was he going to do about that? [Fucking time travel is confusing as fuck...Gods, I need a cigarette real bad.]

Strangely enough, Senku does not return for the rest of the day. Around midday, Stanley had waited for the boy to come in to change his bandages and feed him, but he didn’t seemed to care enough to show up himself. Instead that blond girl, Ruri, came in to take care of him. She was accompanied by three little girls and a dog. Out of the three kids, Stan was only able to recognize one, he remembered seeing the girl with that melon hat when Senku escaped back in South America. [What do they want?] The cat internally grumbled, he was already dreading their reason for coming here.

”Kitty!” He called it. It didn’t take long before he was trapped in a cuddle and petting prison formed by the three girls. Damn, he just recovered, this was the last thing he needed right now. Though no matter how much he whined and hiss in their hold, the girls didn’t seemed to get the message that he didn’t want to be touched. He didn’t have a problem with attacking children, but he did have a problem with being thrown out, if he’s well-behaved he might get Senku to keep him around long enough to get him to America. Still, all the petting was starting to make his healing injuries sting a little.

”Girls, let go of the kitty. Soldier was badly hurt and needs time to recover.” Gosh he wanted to kiss Ruri because of that. The blond had just saved him from the girls’ “affections”. “Besides, don’t you have to go back to work. Everyone is counting on your help to earn money.”

Stan wasn’t sure what was going on exactly, but apparently the work Ruri mentioned got the three girls excited enough to leave him alone, the dog followed them out of the hut. It had tried to sniff and poke at Stanley earlier, but the tabby fake a clawed attack in warning as he glared threateningly at the pup. It was enough to scare the small animal away and keep its distance. Which leaves him with this Ruri lady again. At least she seemed to be a responsible and not childish individual. His eyes followed her as she sets down a plate of food for him as well as a small bowl of water and some new bandages. He wasn’t allowed to eat until she had finished nursing, which she certainly took her sweet time in doing.

”Honestly, I don’t understand why Senku is so willing to just let you do as you wish when you clearly should be resting more. If you were my cat, you wouldn’t be allowed to leave this room for the next week.”

[Good thing I’m not your cat then.] He reeled back when he realized he unintentionally acknowledged himself as Senku’s cat. That definitely left the bitter taste in his mouth, it was probably bile or blood. The tabby instead tried to redirect his thinking by focusing on eating his food instead.

“Senku kept saying that letting you outside for some exercise was good for your health. I’m sure he just doesn’t know how to take care of a pet.” Ruri moved to sit on the bed and pulled Stan into her laps. He didn’t care for the treatment as he was just trying to wash his meal down with some water, yet Blondie didn’t seem to notice his displeasure. She was giving him light strokes, which he begrudgingly enjoys. A couple of purrs slipped out even when he tried to stay quiet. “Well I guess he and everybody are super busy with making the balloon. He just doesn’t seem to ever take a break, it’s worrying. Senku was exactly how the Hundred Tales described him to be. I wonder who taught him to be so smart and skillful.”

[Xeno.] At least that was what he wanted to say, instead he came out as a meow. [Damn, I still need to look for him. But I can’t go anywhere with Ruri here.]

”He’s a lot nicer than he lets on. Guess that’s why everybody levitates towards him, Chrome is even more outgoing since Senku showed up. I also owe him my life... Senku cares, he just won’t admit it. After all he did put in the effort to save a cute little kitty like yourself.” Stan hissed and rolled his eyes. He didn’t owe that brat anything. He never asked to be rescued either. The encounter was purely coincidental.

[He was clearly just trying to save himself.] Well it doesn’t explain why the teen bothered to bring Stan back with him. Nor does it explain why he had willingly give up the bed to a cat and not just put him in a cage somewhere if he was too wild and hostile towards him. [He’s just a brat. A naive, overly sympathetic kid. He probably knew Luna was a spy, yet he still took her in as an ally.] Stan would never take such risks, no he’d get rid of any inconvenience or obstacle that dare stands in his way without hesitation. Mercy would only hold him down. 

But even he could never forget that the boy was the same kid that got the best of him on many accounts. He was a seasoned veteran and a perfectionist, yet this kid beat him at his own game, not once, not twice, not even thrice, but four times. He survived getting sniped by Stanley, nobody had ever done that before, he captured Xeno and escaped from North America, he miraculously evaded Stanley’s crew all the way to South America and the motorcycle chase. He had failed on all four accounts, that bitterness he tasted whenever he is reminded of the boy wasn’t necessarily hatred. No it was the taste of failure, something he was unfamiliar with until he had met Senku.

”Hey, when you do go outside, try not to cause trouble. Everybody is pretty busy so I don’t think there’s really anyone to play with you.” He was then removed off Ruri’s lap and placed back on the bed. Two pairs of blue eyes stared at one another. “Well, it’s not like you can understand, but please behave Soldier. I’m worried that Senku too much work to deal with, and you did try to hurt him yesterday. Just...please give him a break. He’s not the type of person who’s ever given himself one.”

[I make no such promises.] He meowed, almost smugly. Ruri just assumed she imagined that and took the response as a yes on the cat’s behalf.

”Thanks. I’m glad we’re in agreement.”

🐾🐾🐾

Xeno wasn’t here. From what he’s seen of the base of the junior science team so far, there really wasn’t all that much to see and explore. There were a couple huts and tents placed here and there. The most impressive thing he’d seen in their base was a large pyramid-like structure that was formed from what looks like a collapsed building. He had spent the entire evening exploring every inch of the place. There was nothing there that had interested him, just sleeping quarters, food supplies and construction materials. No, everybody was too busy working out in the open field. He had seen it, the large balloon they were working on. When he was observing them, Stanley was able to identify some familiar faces, as well as a bunch of unfamiliar ones. What was strange was the two “samurais” he had seen escaping with the brat back in South America were nowhere to be found.

Those two men, probably weren’t even that far in their adulthood, had been acknowledged as the biggest threat combat-wise at the time. He found it strangled that neither has shown up yet around the base. Senku was mostly spotted hanging around the pirate kid and that dirty, lying, no good magician, Gen. Tabby tabby had steered clear of any direct interactions with anyone during his scouting, since everyone who saw him wanted to either pet or cuddle him. Every time someone gets too close he just run away or hide somewhere out of their reach, the little girls from before had at one point noticed him and they excitedly ran after the cat, most likely going for a repeat of their petting session from earlier that day. He sooner get maul by a bear than let that happen again, but he did took the liberty of eavesdropping on some of their conversations as they work. 

[They have another base called Ishigami Village? Maybe Xeno’s there. How tacky, naming a village after himself, that brat’s so unoriginal. But how do I get to this village? It’s too far away and I can’t risk the woods. Definitely not alone.] Without much options left, Stan dejectedly made his way back to his shared space with Senku. The boy hasn’t returned the entire day, in fact every time he saw the young scientist he was always busy working with something. It’s no wonder Xeno was so fond of the boy, they were both scary diligent when it comes to anything science related.

”Can't believe you actually went outside. Don’t cats sleep at least 12 hours a day?” Senku walked into the hut, he was sweating and a little out of breath. 

[How do you expect me to sleep when it’s so cold?! This your fault.] It wasn’t really clear to the boy what the meows are supposed to mean. He’s just assuming tha cat is angry and upset with him. Senku seen those eyes, the feline is still far from trusting him. As he got closer to the bed, Stanley got up and jumped down. He watched as the scientist rearranged the blankets and pillow into a sort of fort. Stan looked at him quizzically. [Does he think I’m a child or something?]

Almost like he’s read Stan’s mind, the albino gave a him an answer to his actions. ”I’m not coming back tonight, so this should keep you warm for the night. I’ve asked Ruri to look after you while I go to Ishigami Village for a couple of days. Try not to cause trouble while I’m gone, Soldier.” The tabby huffed, it was ridiculous how often they were telling him to behave. Stan was a military elite, a mature adult, he didn’t to be told off like a petulant child. Senku picked up the silver tabby and placed him in the center of the makeshift blanket fort, the cat made no move to stop him, but he could feel just how stiff the feline was in his hold. As much as Stan didn’t want to admit it, the fort the teen set up was nice and cozy, he actually feel sleepy now that he was inside it. “Well, I’ll be going now. Have a goodnight.” Stan felt a hand stroke his damaged ear, he unconsciously leaned into it. Senku left the room shortly after, leaving the feline all alone again.

[Wait! He’s going to where?!]


	3. Avolation

Senku was starting to regret bringing the cat back with him to the base. The boy knows well enough that the little feline wasn’t very trusting of him, not with the way those blue eyes was always surveying his every move whenever he’s nearby or how they glared at him almost murderously. Plus there was something off with that cat, sure he could just be paranoid, but the way the silver tabby behaved kind of looks like the cat had some personal mission. A lot of people around the Tsukasa Empire had mentioned they spotted the cat that afternoon snooping around the place, like he was looking for something. He was already questioning how the cat had survived the wilderness on his own, his size had suggested that he was an adult, but now Senku was questioning if said cat is actually a cat, a normal one to be specific.

When he asked Ruri what she thought about Soldier, she said, and he quotes, “Soldier is an adorable little fluff ball! Really Senku, as his owner you should give him more attention! He’s so miserable without you.” The boy highly doubts that. But it’s not like any sane human being would believe him if he said that the little tabby cat was a suspicious figure and they should be wary of him. Yeah, even he finds that kind of claim hard to believe. But say it was true and the cat was up to no good, it’s not like he can do much against them. If push comes to shove he’ll just put the feline in a cage or something. Right, there’s nothing to worry about...

CURSE HIS NONEXISTENT LUCK! Of course, just when he finally gotten over the issue with Soldier, the universe just couldn’t resist the chance of fucking him over. Soldier should’ve been sleeping in the blanket fort he left him in, but noooo, just as he, Ryusui and Chrome were about to board the balloon, a silhouette dashed forward and tackled Senku to the ground. It was Soldier. Senku had tried to pry the feline off of him, but he had quite the grip on the skirt of his tunic. Those claws were threateningly close to sinking into his skin. 

“Soldier, get off of me! Bad cat! Bad!” Not even with Ryusui’s help were they able to get the tabby to let go. “Come on, don’t be difficult.” Had he pulled any harder he would end up hurting the cat. The last thing he wanted to be known to have done is animal cruelty. “I have to go on the balloon now. You need to go back to sleep, Soldier. Chrome, don’t just watch, help us. We can’t take off like this!”

It didn’t work. Soldier had a strong grip. When Chrome and Ryusui had pulled at the cat’s paws, they were able to get him off Senku because it tore at his clothing. But seeing as latching on his clothes had failed, Soldier immediately squirmed our of the boys’ hold and latched onto Senku’s leg instead. The scientist swore that the tabby was warning him this time. The way those claws were poised to dig into his leg, yep, the cat was threatening him. 

“What did I ever do to you?” He murmured in annoyance, eventually giving in to his fate. The cat can’t seriously be upset that he wasn’t letting him sleep on him that night. No, he looked rather satisfied when Senku left the room, so it’s got to be something else. “Do you want to come with us on the balloon or something?” Soldier nodded. Yeah, there is something wrong with this cat. Well, nothing he can do about it now. Instead he just faced his two friends in resignation. “Soldier is coming along for the ride. He’s probably only a bit over 4 kilograms so it won’t make much of a difference.”

”Still can’t believe you named the cat Soldier, Senku. It wouldn’t have anything to do with Tsukasa, does it?” Chrome clearly meant it as a joke, Stanley felt the boy go rigid at the comment. He remembered hearing Senku rant about that person before, something about him being frozen. And yet Chrome, seemed to be oblivious of the effects his word had on the albino.

”Yeah, whatever. Let’s just go already. Come on, Soldier.” Stan allowed, begrudgingly, for Senku to pick him off the boy’s leg and cradle him in his arms. “Geez, you’re heavy!” Stan huffed and flicked his tail at his face. “Hey!”

[That’s for calling me fat.] Technically Senku never said that. That didn’t stop him from constantly tickling Senku’s nose with his tail, much to the latter’s chagrin. 

“You and Soldier really like each other. Who knew you would get all soft after having a pet! Haha.” Both cat and scientist looked at the brown-haired teen like he had lost his marbles. “Wow, you’re even making the same expression! Guess that joke about owners looking like their pet was true after all.” Red and blue eyes glared at the teen as he laughed at his own joke. If looks could kill, well Chrome would be six feet under by now. 

“Hurry up, you scalawags. It’s about time we conquer the skies!”

Chrome followed Ryusui into the balloon. Senku gave one final exasperated sigh, but it was quickly replaced with his usual toothy smirk. Eyeing the ball of silver fur in his arms, the young scientist whispered some choice words to the feline. “If you cause trouble while we’re in the air I won’t hesitate to drop you.” It was a lie, even Stanley could tell as much, so his only reaction was to smack the boy with his tail. “Heh heh, you’re actually kinda cute when you’re being all rebellious.” The cat gave an unamused huff. It was starting to annoy him that Senku was talking like he was a kid in his rebellious phase. “Seriously though, don’t cause trouble. Cats and heights never goes well together.”

The hot air balloon lifted off as soon as Senku climbed aboard. Everybody else had gathered around to see the trio depart. Amongst the excitement, Stan spotted a bunch of people in the crowd who gazed up at the balloon in awe and disbelief, like what they were seeing was a miracle. His intel did include the fact that there were some in the group that were born in the stone world, from survivors of humanity most likely.

[So I not only lost to a bunch of brats, but also to a bunch of cavemen?] The thought made him seethe. The former soldier couldn’t help but feel more erratic than normal, he couldn’t smoke to calm down anymore. The effects of the withdrawals were getting worse for him by the day, it became increasingly harder to hold in his emotions. He was so caught up in his frustration, Stan was unaware that his claws had started sinking into the arms holding him. Senku bit his lips and gave a low hiss from the pain, it wasn’t enough to break skin, but it still hurt. Ruby eyes couldn’t help but wander to the silver tabby, observing how his furry companion was glaring down at everyone below. Soldier’s fur had stood on end and his tail was bristled. This was just making the feline look more and more suspicious, still the boy chose to keep quiet. Instead he placed the cat down and moved to manage the burners.

”Huh? The Earth is lit up, even though all the people below are still in pitch darkness.” Chrome asked, looking over the basket in awe. 

“We’re 1200 meters high. Due to the Earth’s rotation, unlike those on the ground, we’re seeing the sunrise from 7minutes in the future.” Senku explained.

Chrome stood there silent. Out of curiosity, Stan craned his neck to look at the boy’s face, wondering what happened to cause him to go so quiet. Much to his astonishment, he heard sobbing. That was when the tabby saw it, tears flowing down from the boy’s eyes, but he wasn’t sad. No, there was an unmistakable grin etched on his face. He looked so happy. Stanley was confused. [What’s wrong with these kids? Is the scenery really that pretty?]

“The Earth’s round... It really is!” He clenched his hands over the edge of the balloon’s basket. Head faced down, Chrome’s tears fell in constant streams over his unshakable smile. He choked on his words as he was unable to contain the swelling in his chest. It was like it was just yesterday he was introduced Senku, the boy who made him opened his eyes to a world he never knew. “Now I’ve seen it with my own eyes! But I wanna see more! I wanna know everything...about this planet of ours!”

He was stunned, the former soldier sat by Senku’s feet, gaping at the boy in tears over learning a common fact about the world. Stanley didn’t know what to think of this, this kid was so happy just knowing that the Earth was round. When Stan was younger and was told that the Earth was round he simply shrugged it off. So what if it was, it had no real lasting impact on him, just another trivia stored in the back of his head for whenever. [But Chrome was born in the stone world, he doesn’t have the same knowledge most people his age has.] It made the feline wonder just how much the primitive people didn’t know, to live without any access to the knowledge of the pre-petrified world. [That kind of knowledge must’ve felt like they were from a whole other plane of existence to them.] To live not knowing about the very world you live in was the same as living with a constant fear of the unknown, yet this kid was more than ready to accept what truths were thrown his way. [What a brave kid.] Stanley was impressed, Chrome was a capable one for someone born in the stone world. Xeno would’ve liked Chrome and his thirst for knowledge.

”Heh heh heh, there’s plenty of unknowns I wanna take a look at too. Like the source of the beam on the other side of this round planet. What’s really over there?” The feline looked up at Senku, his blue eyes meeting a face that displayed a smile dripping with confidence and determination. Funny, he didn’t feel frustrated looking at the brat’s face at that moment. As a matter of fact, if weren’t for the amount of self control he had left, Stanley Snyder would’ve actually smiled. That kind of behavior the albino showed was something he had seen in his best friend.

“Haha! I’m your man then!” Ryusui proclaimed enthusiastically. “Because I’ll get you, without a doubt. Take a peek at the world below boys!! Right now, this whole world...is ours!!” Ok, that made Stanley smiled, just a little bit though. He couldn’t help it, their smiles and upbeat attitude were scary contagious.

[Well, at least he confirmed that we will be going to America eventually.] The only problem is to get Senku to include him on the voyage, but there’s still time to figure that out, he has till the ship is finished with construction. For now, it wouldn’t hurt to enjoy the balloon ride. [Might as well make the best the of the situation.]

Nuzzling against Senku’s leg, the cat demanded to be picked up. He wanted to see the view too. No words were needed, like the brat was a mind reader, he scooped up Stanley into his arms and faced towards the world stretching out before them. He couldn’t the deny that the scenery was cleansing, it made his nicotine withdrawal somewhat bearable. Blue eyes roamed the unfamiliar landscape that was Japan, taking in the the beauty of the orange painted sky as the sun peeked over the horizon. It reminded him of the times he and Xeno would go up to the rooves back when they were kids to watch the sunrise. He knows that the person holding him was the same brat he hated with a passion, but for now, it was nice to pretend that it was somebody else holding him.

[Just wait a little longer old friend. I’ll find you, I promise.]

🐾🐾🐾

This was second most dangerous encounter he ever had as a cat. Seriously his luck has gone downhill ever since his feline transformation. What happened was they were just simply flying calmly through the air, at one point they had encountered a flock of birds. Stan had mentally hold himself together so that his urge to chase them won’t make him jump out of Senku’s hold and off the balloon. He wasn’t paying much attention when Ryusui and Chrome had started arguing over who was the better explorer, it just seemed like childish banter. No things went bad after Senku dropped a doll made from a white piece of cloth off the side of the balloon.

Whatever that doll was for, Senku grew tensed and had to put Stanley down all of a sudden, telling the cat to “Stay” before he turned to face the other two. He didn’t even have to say anything for Ryusui to understand the situation they were in.

”Hmph...I wasn’t expecting a crisis like this. Guess our westerly flight is up against a real sky god, huh?!” Both Chrome and Stanley were momentarily confused, until it entered their sights. The brown-haired boy gaped at the sheer size of the thing. “Allow me to introduce the storm-creating cloud devil known as the mighty cumulonimbus! Get near that, and we’ll be sucked in by its awesome power. Our balloon would be torn to shreds. We need to prepare for an emergency landing, now!”

As Ryusui explain to Chrome how to assist him with operating the balloon for landing, Stan moved on his own accords. As a former soldier, his instincts convinced him to survey the ground below for safe route to land their balloon. The silver tabby jumped onto the edge of the basket, eyes keenly examining the earth. It was hard to see with the rain pouring over him like tiny needles, but he managed. The voices of the three teens were muffled by the rain, his right ear couldn’t pick up anything clearly even with his heightened senses, their shouts were mixed up with the sounds of the storm. He can hear smidgen of their conversation, it sounded like Senku had called out to him at one point, but it sounded like he just wanted Stanley to move off the ledge, so he ignored it. Suddenly the winds picked up, howling in his one good ear.

“Baaad! We just keep rising! Even though we put a lid on the fire!” Stan sunk his claws into the walls of the basket as Chrome spoke of their situation, trying to maintain balance. Based on the boy’s tone, their chances of safely landing was thrown out the window. 

”The devilish cumulonimbus had us caught in it’s updraft!” The blond’s voice boomed over the winds, it in addition to the sound of thundering rain was making Stan’s ears hurt. His paws were starting to slip from his hold under the amount of rain lubricating the basket.

”Is there no way to get down?!”

”NO! There’s no escape!”

They all took hold of the ropes, trying to stay standing on their feet. Senku yelled at Stanley, unable to get to him without risking his own safety. “Soldier, GET DOWN FROM THERE!” He can’t, if Stan moves even an inch from his position, he would undoubtedly fall off. He gritted his teeth and focused on keeping his hold stable. Things were starting to look really bad, none of the three boys could say anything. They couldn’t see a way out of it... Until Chrome decide to do something crazy.

“We’ll use our brains and hearts to plunge right into it and pop out the other side! Right through the devil cloud!” He opened the burners, but hesitated. “...Baaad idea?!”

”Nope.” It’s back, Senku’s signature maniac smirk. Whenever he has that look, it simply means that they were about to undergo some crazy stunt. Which in normal circumstances would be considered ludicrous. “Heh heh heh, if dropping down is not an option we can rocket up a few thousands meters and pierce straight through the still growing cumulonimbus. We’ll be really high up, with just barely enough oxygen to stay alert.”

That plan, the sheer madness of it, was just enough to light the fire in their pilot’s eyes. Ryusui face broke into a grin that rivaled Senku’s. “Chrome... You son of a...!!” 

Without a moment’s hesitation, Senku threw the last of the revival fluid into the into the flames. The other teens proclaimed their shock as the last of the formula was used as fuel, Senku only grinned in satisfaction. Chrome, Stanley and Ryusui stared on in disbelief of the boy’s actions. The reason he had for throwing it into the flames was that it’s compon included alcohol and nitric acid, making it a highly flammable agent. Once the bottle was broken down and it’s contents was burned, a rapid reaction took place, resulting in a mini explosion. The impact sent the boys harshly into the sides of the basket. 

Unfortunately for Stanley, the shockwaves, in addition to the sudden rocking as the balloon shot upwards, made him lose what little grip he had holding onto the edge. Without anything to grab onto, the silver tabby felt himself hurling off with the wind, the feeling of his own weight pressing him downwards. Stan wasn’t unfamiliar with the feeling of adrenaline that comes with being in a near death situation, it was something he was trained for as a soldier. But at that moment he just felt helpless and pathetic with himself, why was he always failing now? This was never something he would’ve allowed before. When did things changed? He never had enough time to finish the thought when a hand had circled his midsection and abruptly stopped his fall.

”SOLDIER!!” The scene that played out before Senku was one he saw before. And just like the other time, the boy moved without a thought. It hurts knowing these things were bound to occur and yet the scientist was still unable to do anything to prevent it. It was stupid, just like back then, but that didn’t matter. Senku was just scared of allowing a death to occur right in front of him, so he had little regret when he decided to jump off the balloon, desperately reaching for the little fur ball. Once Soldier was in his arm, the boy had barely enough time to grab onto the balloon using his remaining arm, with reflexes Kohaku would be proud of.

It wasn’t easy to maintain his hold as they ascended to higher altitudes, it was harder to breathe due to levels of oxygen decreasing. He already felt lightheaded, the balloon having a few spins midair due to the sudden increase in heat from the reaction did nothing to help Senku’s situation. What’s worse is that his two friends were far too caught up in their dramatic shit to noticed that he and Soldier had fallen off, much to his chagrin. If anything, Chrome and Ryusui were actually celebrating their success of rising above the eye of the storm. If he wasn’t dangling over the side of a hot air balloon, holding on for dear life, Senku wouldn’t be to hold back the desire to smack his friends upside the head for “flirting” while he was suffering on the sidelines.

”Can you save all the bromance and backward hive-fives for later and help me up first?! We’re dying here!!”

🐾🐾🐾

From what Stanley could see, once he was able to pull his head away from Senku’s chest, the village was quite small, it was mostly children and elderly people. It just didn’t seemed like the kind of place you would keep prisoners. But he wasn’t going to jump to any conclusions just yet, best to have a look and be certain beforehand. Of course he won’t be able to do anything if Senku doesn’t let go of him first, he hasn’t given him any indication that he would, ever since they got off the balloon. He could feel the boy’s arm trembling ever so slightly, though he couldn’t tell if it’s stress or excitement, the young scientist was smiling that usual infuriating smile like he didn’t almost just died.

”Welcome home!! Senku!”

Stanley Snyder watched as every villager rushed towards them, greeting the three boys, Senku in particular, enthusiastically. In the crowd of faces, two very familiar ones entered his vision, the archer boy and the blond girl that looked like Ruri. He remembered them with Senku back in South America.

”KYAAA! KITTY!! Sooo cuuuttteee!” The cat cringed, he knew what was coming when the blond bolted towards him and Senku with hearts in her eyes. Stanley dreaded the petting Hell that was going to befall on him any minute now, so he screwed his eyes shut. But after a few seconds passed and nothing happened, the former military man dared a peek. Senku had his hand held out at her, keeping her from getting any closer to them. “Awww! No fair, Senku! I want to play with the kitty-cat too!”

[Damn that’s worse than just kitty.] Stan meowed quietly to himself.

”We’ve had an...eventful flight. I’m going to take a quick breather and Soldier’s coming with me.” Kohaku pouted at the teen’s reasoning, but she didn’t pushed any further. The feline was then carried to one of the many houses, as he and Senku walked away, Senku greeting everyone as he made his way, patting any little children that approached him on the head, Stan could hear that Kohaku girl talking to Chrome in the back.

”What’s up with him?”

”Nah, nothing much. He just sort of had a close...” Chrome followed that up by making hand gestures and sounds to describe his friend’s fall. “But anyways, check out our flying machine! It’s BAAAD!”

[How can they be so optimistic after what just happened?] A rough, but warm hand laid gently on his head, stroking behind his bad ear. It was comforting, considering the feline had almost plummeted to his death just moments prior, but he wasn’t bothered by it, he was Stanley Snyder after all. Yet...he couldn’t help but appreciate the brat’s effort to comfort him when he himself had almost died. It was the second time he was saved from certain death by Senku Ishigami, and they’ve only been together for less than three days. Admit it or not, he owes the kid his life. The first time was mere coincidence and convenience, but this time he jumped right into danger for Stanley. [I guess your not too bad for a nuisance. I’m still going to kill you someday...just not today.]


	4. Jones

“Aaaahhh!” His head felt like it was splitting. Sure he made it look like it didn’t bother him at all when in front of others, yet now he was screaming into his pillow, but in his defense he had almost died. He hasn’t left his room for the entire day. The incident with the balloon was pretty lasting. Everyone was probably going for dinner by now, everyone except him and Soldier. The silver tabby was laying comfortably on the bed right next to him, trying to get some of his body heat. “Soldier, you awake?”

The silver tabby stirred, but eventually lifted his head and faced Senku with an annoyed face. Red eyes looked over the cat’s relaxed form. It doesn’t make any sense no matter how much he mulls it over.

”You're seriously not even a bit shaken up, huh?” Maybe it’s something you get after living a life of a prey for years. It might be the reason to why it was so cautious and hostile with him originally. “Why? Just why did you climbed up there when it’s so dangerous?” Cats are not afraid of heights, but you would think that something with enough survival instincts would be able to acknowledge that being a good thousand or more meters in the air is a huge warning sign to not be careless. Soldier was very smart for a cat, but what happened today made it seemed like there’s more than just being smart about the silver tabby. He wasn’t the least bit scared when they miraculously survived the fall. No if anyone had lasting trauma of any kind it was Senku, but like any other traumatic experience he had, the teen opted to just pushed it aside and forget they ever occurred.

Stanley rolled his eyes as the albino twist and turn in his bed, moaning into his pillow like he was in agony. [Can’t believe I woke up for this.] Senku was really haggard since their arrival at Ishigami Village, he spent most of the evening sleeping. Which gave Stanley some time to sneak away and have a look around the village. This time he tried to be more stealthy, avoiding any and every person he sees, especially the archer and the blond. But it was just as he expected, Xeno was nowhere in sight. Stan was disappointed, but also relief that his friend was not captured.

[I really travelled back in time? Meaning Xeno is all the way on the other side of the world.] Wonderful, now he really needs Senku if he ever has any chance of getting to America. Unfortunately, it seems he still underestimated the young scientist far too much. When he had returned to their shared space, he saw Senku’s figure laying exactly where Stan last saw him before he went snooping. The problem was that the boy’s formed looked too stiff, he was awake and simply trying to fake being asleep. [Why is he faking at a cat? Is he suspicious of me?] Stan could only assume the worst and accept that he was being too sloppy in front of Senku, luckily for him, Senku is a terrible actor. At least he was by the feline’s standards, military training exposed him to many psychological training, he is far too skilled at reading people and their body language to be fooled by an amateur. [Well, it’s not like Senku knows that I’m a military officer. He might be suspicious of me, but he does know the extent of my capabilities. I just need to earn his trust and affection. Then I could at least avoid getting caged.] He sauntered over to the boy and laid beside him, but Senku remained unmoved by the sudden presence, just kept faking sleep.

Stanley needed a game plan, he needs to get to America, Senku is the key to that. But the boy is far from a fool, he was already showing signs of mistrust, but considering he willingly risked his life for Stan not too long ago means he is still compassionate and naively open-minded and optimistic. Since the tabby is the one at a disadvantage here he can’t act recklessly, he could start being the obedient pet, but a sudden change in demeanor could lead to Senku just be more suspicious of him. He could continue being reckless and unpredictable and play it off as having an abnormal nature, the teen probably already think of him that way, but he’d be risking his safety, like back on the balloon. His last option was far more complex and the most risky, but it came with the most benefits. Stanley could reach out to Senku and try to communicate with him on his situation.

[Ok, that’s absolutely insane. It could be a one way ticket to America or a definite cage sentence.] The cat gave a brief look at the boy, his form had finally relaxed, Senku was asleep. He himself was tired, it’s been a long day and personally, not finding Xeno out a damper on his mood. [I still have time. I’ll think of a plan later. First, sleep.] Normally he doesn’t get tired that easily, it was likely a side effect of being a cat or his nicotine withdrawal was getting worse. It was rather hard to fall asleep, so it must be the withdrawal, but snuggling up to Senku made things nice and cozy. The sleep didn’t last since the albino woke up a little later just to ask him a mindless question then ignored him. [Gah! This kid! I would kill for a cigarette right about now.] Senku was still moaning and whining into his pillow. [Just what is going on in his head?! Let me sleep, you little brat!]

”Stop meowing, Soldier. Your giving me a headache.”

[Seriously?!] Was Senku pushing his buttons on purpose? Because Stan was more than tempted to claw his face off right then and there. The boy was acting way too weird, just what was he up to? [Some kind of mind game?] He actually wasn’t trying anything. Senku was just mumbling random thoughts, half asleep. Well, it was sort of spurred by his own frustration about Soldier’s suspicious behavior, and the fact that there wasn’t much he could do about it. He has to keep treating the feline nicely for two reasons, one was observing for information, second was because he couldn’t bring himself to do anything bad to the silver tabby. It was like dealing with Tsukasa all over again, a friend who wasn’t a friend but still a friend, just not a friend in the normal sense, yet can’t be treated as anything less than a friend. It was confusing, to put it in simpler terms, both Soldier and Tsukasa have a sort of unconventional-allies kind of vibe. Getting along with Senku, but a rift still existed between them. The rift between him and Tsukasa was closed up when he revived Mirai, but saving Soldier didn’t make him feel like he could trust the fur ball any better, and vice versa.

“Tsukasa...” Senku mumbled unconsciously. His friend was dying and waiting for the scientist to save him. Tsukasa was counting on him. Everybody is counting on him... He didn’t have time to mope around! What the hell was he even doing right now?! The teen immediately sat up, stretching his arms and letting out a big yawn. “Get up, Soldier. Time to eat.” He said so while stroking the cat’s bad ear. Stan gave an annoyed pout at the boy’s sudden optimism, but followed him out nonetheless.

[Weirdo.] The feline was starting to think that Senku might actually be bipolar. He was a lot like Xeno, not just in intelligence, but they almost mirrored each other’s personality as well. At that moment, Stanley didn’t realize that he had smiled as he gazed at the boy’s back, the burning hatred was forgotten for just a little while. Strange that it’s happening quite often.

🐾🐾🐾

How did this happen? They were just having a nice, CALM dinner. The young scientist doesn’t remember how the conversation diverted in this direction. But it was probably Chrome’s fault. Yeah, it was definitely Chrome’s fault.

”So we are leaving tomorrow, Senku?”

”Hmm, yeah. Ryusui, Kohaku and I will take the balloon.” The albino mindlessly picked at his ear. “You and Ukyo will follow on foot to map out the area below.”

”Huh?! Why can’t I ride the balloon too?!” He protested, waving his arms and exaggerating his disapproval of the team up.

”Because Ryusui and I are needed to steer that thing and Kohaku’s eyes are for identifying the crucial details of the landscape. Besides, didn’t you brag to Ryusui that on land, you’re the true pro adventurer?” Senku gave him a cheeky smirk. Stan, who was watching by Kohaku’s side, the girl haven’t stopped petting him since dinner started, rolled his eyes at the obvious manipulation. But of course, Chrome’s ego was too busy getting inflated for the brown-haired boy to notice. “Don’t you want to preserve your title as the better explorer?”

”Mmm, yeah! It just doesn’t seem fair that Soldier gets to ride twice when he doesn’t even do anything.”

Senku choked on the water he was drinking. “Soldier is NOT coming with us!” Yeah, Stan was on his side this time. He’s not getting back on that balloon if given the choice. His small feline body puts him in more danger than he likes to admit.

”What?! But Soldier is part of the Kingdom of Science too. He’s part of the team!”

”You just said he doesn’t do anything.” The scientist tried to reason. The boy was dreading the idea of bringing the cat anywhere with him again. After finding out the feline had wandered away while he was sleeping, he can no longer deny that there wasn’t anything abnormal with Soldier. He had followed the little guy around the village, but ended up losing his trail after a couple of minutes. Soldier was crazy agile and nimble, he’s not taking the “Well, he is a cat.” argument as valid reasoning anymore. His movements were far too refined, like some kind of spy or assassin. The tabby was definitely looking for something. The boy could barely keep up without making a noise and attracting the feline’s attention. He had to eventually give up and just head back to sleep. It was scary when Soldier did come back to the room, Senku had tried his best to look like he had been asleep the entire time. This nerve wracking experience was exactly like when Tsukasa first joined him. He had to do everything on his own and keep it a secret from Taiju until the man had been openly hostile and showed his true intentions. 

Senku can still remember how Taiju didn’t quite believe him when the scientist tried to expose Tsukasa. Well his dumb friend was entirely to be blamed, Tsukasa was deceivingly trustworthy. But Soldier is a cat, that’s even harder to convince than a deceivingly, friendly, charismatic guy. Saying a man has bad intentions without solid proof is hard enough. Imagine trying to call out a cat’s bad intentions. Though Senku would admit he doesn’t know if Soldier’s was an enemy or not. Still, he would much rather keep him out of most their planning for a while, until he can figure out what to do with him.

”Come on, Senku. What’s the harm? Chalk follows Suika everywhere even when she’s working.” He wanted to reason to Kohaku that Chalk and Suika had been together for a very long time, so clearly Chalk wasn’t an enemy, but kept quiet. If he said something like that, they’d think he was crazy. “I mean how can you resist this face?”

Senku leaned back as Kohaku held Soldier our in his direction. The proximity between their faces were about an inch apart. He could see every details of his face, from his frown to his glaring, icy-blue eyes to the petrification crack running across his face, passing over both his eyes... Wait! Petrification cracks?!? Now that he was looking closer, those marks were definitely the cracks you get after being depetrified. He originally thought it was an abnormal stripe pattern on his fur, but that was definitely not the case. Since when were cats petrified? He hasn’t seen a single statue of any other animal other than the swallows.

”I’m ten billion percent sure that we don’t need him.” And that we can’t trust him was what he wanted to add. Senku took Soldier away from Kohaku and placed him on his lap. Even though he doesn’t trust Soldier, the albino had become quite addicted to stroking the feline’s right ear, it became a habit. The cat seemed to like it too. “You agree with me, right Ryusui?”

”Hah! Soldier’s our teammate! Let him come!” Senku cringed. It had only been one trip and they all already blindly trusted the silver tabby cat. Looking to Ukyo, he prayed that he would be reasonable enough to understand why this is a ridiculous idea.

”I don’t see why we can’t bring him?” The archer scratched his cheek sheepishly. Ukyo mentally apologized to Senku. But he honestly didn’t see anything wrong with it. Maybe Senku was just worried because of the prior misfortune. 

“Four to one! It’s settled then, Soldier is coming with us!” Chrome cheered enthusiastically. The boy and the others were unaware of the staring contest going on between Senku and Stanley. The young scientist and the cat silently agreed that they both hated this plan. Still, one can’t speak and the other was outvoted, so they’ll have to make do. 

In the end they were both worried for nothing. Their second flight was actually smooth sailing. Stan had steered clear of the edge and have taken the liberty of sleeping by the burners, relishing in the warmth. He had nothing to do, so it’s best to stay out of their way, and not draw any attention, Senku’s in particular. That night, after dinner, when Stanley and Senku were turning in for the night, Stan was the first one who fell asleep despite needing to deal with his withdrawal symptoms. He remembered Senku had not spoken a word to him nor did the boy looked in his general direction, he was mostly deep in thought when Stan closed his eyes.

What’s more, Stan woke up after Senku did. The boy, who probably didn’t have any more than four hours of sleep, was completely rejuvenated, looking excited and determined to start their next task, making a new map. The tabby couldn’t deny that he was quite impressed with how well Senku operates under pressure. It was admirable how he could easily overlook and overcome any obstacle that was thrown his way, like he was so stubborn, he won’t let anything mentally or emotionally deter him for a long period of time.

[Maybe that’s why I failed to kill this brat. His stubbornness saved him. He found a way out when there shouldn’t have been one. Heh. Not bad. Not bad at all.] Funny, before any thought relating to Senku surviving his assassination made his blood boil, but right now, Stanley was more impressed if anything. And a little curious, he never did find out how Senku managed it, the bullet didn’t miss, that much he was certain of. [Maybe it was really my fault he lived through it? I left immediately after shooting him.] He didn’t bother to check for himself, his arrogance in his own abilities made the thought of failure in anyway implausible.

[It was my fault for underestimating Senku.] And now, he was seeing just how much Senku is able to endure. Almost falling to your death would have been a scarring experience for anyone else, Stan was used to almost dying as a it’s expected on the battlefield, but Senku was only shaken up for a short while. If anything, the incident just made the boy walk taller, holding his head high as the junior science team explored the nature-dominated land. A bullet was never going to be enough to break his will. He was very brave, physically weak, but his intelligence made it clear that he wasn’t powerless. [He’s even already on to me not being a normal cat.] Stanley laughed to himself. Blue eyes trained on his “owner’s” back as the teen communicated with Ukyo and Chrome via their primitive phones. 

“Hey Senku, I see some yellowish fruits growing up on that mountain.” Kohaku pointed towards a nearby mountain, the same one Ukyo and Chrome were busy charting, but of course none of them could really see anything past dense foliage. They didn’t have her kind of vision. But Ryusui did perk up at the mention of potential food.

“Oh, yeah? Ukyo, Chrome, you guys seeing what Kohaku’s talking about?” There was some muffling sound from the phone that Stan couldn’t properly piece together, but he can just assume that Chrome was saying they’ll go check it out.

”Weird, some of the leaves are all white and silver.” 

“Come again? Kohaku, did you just say the plants have silver and white leaves?” The boy’s eyes widened as he grew a maniac grin. Stan felt a small chill run down his spine when the boy directed that grin in his direction for a brief second. He has a bad feeling about this. “Chrome, you see those plants yet?!... Ok, tell me, are the ones with fruit have green leaves and the ones that don’t have white?... Uh huh. Yeah, just grab a bunch, branches and all. I’ll explain what they’re for later, just get them...Let’s just say I have some interrogation work ahead of me.” Ok, now Stanley was nervous. The boy had some tricks up his sleeve and he was definitely out for him.

There wasn’t much else they found during the excursion. They’re able to shoot down a couple of goats, so Ryusui was pretty satisfied. When they got back to Ishigami Village that night, everybody was enjoying having to not eat fish for a change. The elders all marveled at the newly drawn maps. Stan himself was enjoying his meal when he spotted Senku walking over to the group. When they had landed in the village, the scientist immediately went Ukyo and Chrome. He took some things from them and went off on his own after telling everybody to start eating without him. Now that the boy was back, the tabby was more alert, there was something different about the albino, Stan smelt something new on him. Whatever it was it made the feline feel weird, in a relieving sort of way, like the feeling he gets when smokes. [Strange. What did the brat do this time?]

”I’ve never seen anything like it. A map with so much details!”

”That’s all the data we got from the sky! And once we map out more food spots, you people won’t have to endure all that crude fish anymore!!” Ryusui proclaimed through mouthfuls of meat.

”Science is so wonderful. Thanks to this, we won’t lose another soul to starvation ever again.” One of the villager said, tears streaming down her aged face. Stanley stopped his chewing when he heard that. He felt his appetite left him as he watched some of the other villagers consoled her. There are times like this that he forgotten about some of Senku’s allies, this entire village, are born in a world after humanity collapsed. They didn’t have access to many things from modern times. A famine is probably common, the village itself was quite small, meaning their numbers shouldn’t be any higher than 30 to 40 people. 

[Life must’ve been tough before Senku showed up. Guess that’s why they’d willingly follow him and his crazy ideas.] The silver tabby gazed wandered over to Senku. [You're unreasonably kind.] Though it was obvious that the teen probably got free labour from them, it just looks to Stanley that he would willingly take the harder path if it means his allies would also benefit. He can’t say he would do the same, no if it means getting results quicker, then Stanley would not hesitate to make sacrifices. He did leave Luna on the enemy ship after all. But that’s a common thing to do on the battlefield, to give up lives as long as it means you win in the end. Yet, looking back, Senku’s side didn’t sacrifice a single life, they even got Luna’s little group to join. [Was it a mistake to have left Luna there?]

The cat immediately shook off the thought, he did what had to be done. No point in regretting it now. [Still...] Nobody died in that conflict, some of those samurai guys got injured, but they were alive. Charlotte, Senku didn’t kill her even when she was beaten, instead he left her and she joined back with Stanley. When he saw her again, she had sustained no real damage, bar a few bruises from the plane crash. [Had she, or even Luna, died...] Stanley wouldn’t have cared, neither would Xeno. They had long accepted that there will be times that lives would be lost in order to help Xeno achieve his ambitions. One or two deaths didn’t amount to much for either of them. The only lives they would ever prioritize was each other, it was an exception if it was someone they truly cared for, but even that was a bit of a stretch. Stanley wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice his fellow soldier who were utterly loyal to him, and Xeno truly loved and appreciated Senku, but he still allowed Stanley to pull the trigger. In comparison to that, Senku jumped off of a hot air balloon to save a cat he had for two days. Had it been anyone else, Stan would just think of them as naive and stupid, but it was Senku, the kid that outsmarted both him and Xeno at once. He knew the dangers and risks, yet did it anyways. The kid may as well be a saint when placed beside him and his best friend.

”Soldier...?” He looked up, meeting clear red eyes smiling down at him. The feline doesn’t remember those eyes looking so bright before, they were almost pretty. “Time to turn in for the night. Come on.” He allowed a familiar pair of hands to pick him up and carry him away. He was used to it now. It’s not like his owner would intentionally hurt him. [Heh. “Owner.”]

🐾🐾🐾

He was such an idiot. He got sentimental for a moment and accidentally dropped his guard down around Senku. [Why do I keep underestimating this brat?!] If you’re wondering what had happened, here’s the story.

Senku had brought the silver tabby back to their room after everyone had gone off to bed. But as soon as they were alone, the boy had placed the cat on the bed and he knelt down on the floor beside it. Propping his arm on the bed, Senku rested his cheek against his fist. The boy was smiling at the tabby mischievously. That was when Stanley realized what was happening. It was interrogation time. Should he keep up the act or go with option three and come clean, not completely clean just clean enough to convince Senku.

”I think we both know what’s going to happen here. So I suggest you drop the mask already or I’ll have to use force.” Stanley huffed, narrowing his blue eyes at the boy. That was a bluff. Senku wouldn’t hurt him, and even if he did, Senku couldn’t easily win against him, cat or not. He almost smirk at the poor excuse of a threat. The boy still didn’t fully understand just who Stanley was. And when he made no move to respond to him, the teen tutted him. “Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He reached into one of his many pouches, the feline stiffened. Stan was expecting the boy to pull out some kind of weapon or other toture device, he wasn’t anticipating Senku to bring out a single stick. 

[Is this a joke?] He watched as the scientist hovered the stick right above his head. Curiously, Stan began to sniff at it, that was when the smell wafted his sensitive nose. A euphoric feeling had washed over him and and his body felt suddenly calm, the symptoms of his nicotine withdrawal were washed away. It was like when he smokes to cool his nerves, just stronger, like his senses were slipping away from him and all he ever wanted to do was to get the stick. He couldn’t think straight, the feline simply chased the feeling of pleasure, but as he reached for the stick, Senku pulled away and held it out of his reach. The brat’s smirk taunting him.

”Checkmate.”


	5. Obeisance

He couldn’t stop grinning. Soldier, the cat that he came to identify as a cautious, aggressive and stealthy individual that could probably kill him if he wanted to, was practically putty in his hand at this very moment. How ironic was it to find Actinidia polygama, better known as matatabi or silver vine, during the excursion. Cats are more responsive and sensitive to this stuff than catnip. There have been studies that shows at least 80% of domestic cats having a positive response to matatabi. The effects lasts for about five to thirty minutes, plus it’s not addictive so Soldier won’t try to kill him later when he takes it away. All Senku had to do was keep it close enough for the feline to smell it, but not touch it. It was pathetically adorable watching the cat try to get the stick to no avail, purring in pleasure and whining in annoyance all at once.

Feeling that his message has been properly received, Senku took the matatabi stick back completely, stuffing the item back in one of his pouches. The silver tabby, seemingly regained some of his reasonings, sat up straight and glowered at the boy sitting across from him. Senku just smiled back pleasantly, he was going to make sure that by the morning he’ll have the answers he needed, even if it means neither of them are getting a wink of sleep tonight. 

“So, what’s it going to be? You can cooperate and I’ll let you have another go with the stick. You’re probably stressed out after everything that has happened recently, at the very least tired just like I am.” Stan flicked his tail closed to the boy’s face. He was clearly not amused, but that was the most relief he’s felt in days. He has no cigarettes and the effects of his withdrawal has been bad for his mood. Stan was not looking forward for the boy to tempt him with the stick again, he couldn’t control himself the first time. Besides, Senku was already on to him, would playing the fool even work? The boy was far too clever to not have a backup plan if Stan refused him. “Hmm, let’s negotiate, how about I only ask you three questions, yes and no types only? You can tell me more once we can trust each other. Sounds like a good deal, don’t you think?” Even if the boy can get only a little info right now, it is still far better than being clueless. And surely, Soldier should understand that this way they both benefit.

[Plan C it is then.] The feline gritted his teeth and begrudgingly nodded his head. Senku was practically beaming, amazing how he was able to make even that face look mischievous. The boy petted his bad ear and Stan resisted the urge to claw at his hand.

”So I was right, you can understand me.” He nodded, refusing to meet his eyes. This was humiliating, he thought that should he choose to ally himself with the boy he wouldn’t have to sacrifice his dignity for it. “Might as well, start the questioning... You’re looking for something, aren’t you?” Stan hesitated, but nodded anyways. “Well, whatever that may be, I am ten billion percent sure it’s not here.” The feline shook his head. Senku maneuvered his arms into a thinking pose. His eyes kept flitting back and forth from Stanley to the ground. Two questions left.

”You’re not really a cat. Cats weren’t petrified along with humanity, so unless you alone are special... Soldier, are you human? As in you used to be human and then got turned into a cat.” Yeah, that was probably the craziest question he had to ask. But then again, a lot of insane things have happened already. Never in his life would Senku think he’d experience being turned to stone, getting his neck snapped and surviving, discover a primitive village, find out said village was founded by his father and the survivors of humanity. Yeah, getting turned into a cat doesn’t really sound like fiction when you line it all up.

Plus, Soldier behaves in a way that feels very human. He pays attention to people having conversations like he understood and if the balloon incident was going to mean anything, Senku would assume he had tried to help them. There was no way standing on the edge in the rain was normal, a cat’s instinct in that kind of scenario would’ve been to hide and get out of the rain, instead he surveyed the situation and stayed calm. No normal human would be so brave when they could potentially die, but the tabby was focused and vigilant, he wasn’t even bothered with almost falling to his death. Like he was trained to risk his life, like a cop or an actual soldier...

[Damn! How much has this brat already figured out?] Looking into those accursed red eyes, Stan could see the boy was waiting for an answer. But he didn’t prod, rather he was patient with Stanley, giving him time to answer. [He better not tell anyone else.] Stanley looked him the eyes, showing that he was serious and nodded his head yes. Red eyes glimmered with fascination at his answer.

Senku was potentially a mind reader because the next thing he said was, “Okay, we’re going to have to keep that between us. For now.” Stan flattened his ears, he agreed with that, unfortunately. Senku was going to be cautious of him, but it’s better that it’ll be just him. But the scientist knows this, he’s just trying to balance out the benefits between them. Things as they are now, neither of the two has any real power over each other. Stan can still freely roam around without anyone suspecting him, but Senku now knows that if he does even the slightest thing out of the ordinary he could potentially cage him, as long as it’s within reason. Since everybody else seems to really like Stanley and Senku knows it. Yeah, they were pretty much where they started.

”Well, last question.” The silver tabby looked at him, head slightly tilted to the side. He doesn’t know what kind of question Senku could still ask. So far this interrogation had offer the boy minimum intel, if anything he just used it to confirm things he already knew. And if Senku was anything like Xeno, then he’s mentally capable of solving a mystery without all the clues. So what could he want to know now? Where Stan was from? What he was looking for? How did he turn into a cat? But none of those are yes or no questions. Senku seems to be thinking about it himself. The boy had been silent for a good while, processing the information. “Ok, you don’t have to answer this one immediately, but before I ask you this, I need to show you something. Follow me.”

[What’s he up to?] The feline hopped off the bed and trailed behind Senku. They ended up not only leaving their room, but the village, completely. Stanley followed Senku as he was led to god knows where, his tail sticking up, eyes wandering all over and being cautious about his surroundings. This could be a trap, even though it didn’t sound like something Senku would do, it was better safe than sorry.

The young scientist could tell without looking that the feline still doubts his actions, but he walked on unbothered. The reason he was doing this was to let Soldier see his true motive after all. How his furry companion responds is up to him, the boy has no control over that, all he could do was be upfront about his goal and why nothing will stop him, not even someone he cares about. The trek didn’t last very long, the albino had stopped walking when they reached a small hill, which looks manmade. It had numerous, small, stone structures errected all over. 

[Those are tombstones. A cemetery?] Blue eyes stared up at the teen, confused. What could he possibly want by bringing Stanley here? Appeal to his humanity now that he knows he’s human? [Don't bother kid. I’m a stone-cold killer. I’ve taken countless of lives. I tried to take yours too. I have no room for sympathy.] 

“You probably already figured it out what this place is. These are the tombstones of the villagers, all of them were from before I was depetrified two years ago.” Senku walked up the hill, Stan walking in step with him. The feline counted the sheer number of tombstones around him. He started to wonder just how old the village actually was. If they are descendants from survivors from the day of the petrification, then that would mean it’s over three millennium years old. But then why is the number so small? Why was the village so primitive? The only scientific advancement were limited and definitely came from Senku, who’s only been around for a couple of years. Was it because of food shortage like he heard back at dinner? But, that doesn’t make much sense, why didn’t they try looking for a different way to gather food? What kept them from exploring their choices? 

[But, two years ago? If he had that much time, why didn’t Senku’s group advance further than their current level? His number is far greater than the one we had back in America, not to mention he had the revival fluid formula. He’s pretty much as smart as Xeno and those other brats I saw are pretty skilled themselves, so why are they behind us? What has he been doing this past two years?] Actually, now that Stanley was thinking about it, it didn’t make much sense for Senku to be building a ship to America. The smarter decision would’ve been to advance their base in Japan first, the brat didn’t need to make such a risky move so early on. Had he waited and get better equipment first, then sailing out to sea would be an easy feat, yet the ship they had used was impressive, but still far too primitive. The risks of using that ship from Japan to America could’ve killed them. [What’s the rush?]

Senku stopped in front of a single tombstone at the top of the hill. There sits a single, hollow tombstone that has been busted open. The teen turned to the silver tabby with a look he has never seen the boy make before. He looks solemn and a little disheartened, but still managed a small smile. Stan backed up as Senku sat down crossed legs, the boy patted his lap, inviting the feline to come closer. He complied, it was pretty cold at night so the teen was a good heater. He made himself comfortable in Senku’s lap, where he could easily face the single tombstone. [When did I started being okay with being next to this brat without having the urge to kill him?]

”I’m going to tell you a story. It’s about the origins of Ishigami Village. When that’s done I’ll ask you my last interrogation question.” Senku’s eyes were trained on the busted stone in front of him. He hasn’t even said anything about it yet, but he already felt his chest tightening and mouth going dry. The boy swallowed and briefly gaze at the cat in his lap, reminding himself why he was here. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to speak. “On June 2019, all of humanity was turned to stone. A green light was wrapped around the Earth, petrifying all of mankind. There was no human left on Earth that were not turned into a stone statue. But, there were still humans that were not on Earth during the time of the petrification. The ISS, the astronauts who had been in space had all survived being turned to stone, they were the last of humanity. These survivors were Yakov Nikitin, Darya Nikitina, Shamil Volkov, Connie Lee, Lillian Weinberg and... Byakuya Ishigami.”

Stan felt himself stiffened. [Senku’s full name is Senku Ishigami, then that means... If this village was formed by the survivors of humanity, wouldn’t that make the villagers...? Oh.] The former soldier dared a peek at the boy’s face. The face Senku was making was stone-face. The boy hadn’t taken his eyes off of the tombstone in front of them. [If those astronauts didn’t turn to stone all those years ago, then wouldn’t they have died thousands of years ago?] His eyes fell to the tombstone in front of them and that was when it dawned on him. 

“Some time after the humanity’s petrification, the astronauts left the International Space Station and landed in the waters a good distance off the coast of Japan. They took up residence on a nearby island, where they began making plans towards their last mission, how to save the petrified humans.”

[Why were they trying to land in Japan though? Aren’t there many other places with better resources and facilities? What was in Japan that made it the best option?] Blue eyes widened when the answer came to the silver tabby. [They were looking for him...] Things were starting to make so much sense now. Back in America, the battle could’ve been avoided had Senku’s junior science team just surrendered. They were outgunned, but still had the guts to not surrender. No wonder those astronauts chose to bet humanity’s faith on one teenage boy. He not only held the knowledge of humanity’s scientific history, but also was the type of person who would not abandon others for his own selfish desire, even if he was risking his life. The boy survived getting sniped and still chose to fight on. 

“They never made it to Japan. But they had started a life on the island, their will of reaching Japan was passed on to their children and continued on by their descendants. The astronauts also taught their descendants some knowledge on how to survive the stone world through the form of the Hundred Tales. Stories with hidden knowledge of the pre-petrified world, but also messages, to guide those who have escaped their stone prison. I don’t know when, but some time later, these descendants arrived to Japan and established Ishigami Village... The one hundredth story of the Hundred Tales, Ruri told me that it was called Senku Ishigami...”

[What kind of madman would place such a burden on child?!] Sure, Stanley never discriminates people when he kills them. As a soldier, all he will ever prioritize on the battlefield was the mission, regardless of who has to die to complete it. But, he would never put a child in charge of something as big as saving humanity. [Not only that, their descendants don’t even know what he looks like. Living in the stone world without modern knowledge would make someone cautious of anything they don’t understand. Those villagers could’ve tried to kill the brat instead of accepting him!] Somehow, the thought of Senku dying by the hands of anyone else other than his own felt wrong and unjustified. It made Stanley mad. [They must have a lot of faith in Senku, huh? Just what kind of life have you been living before you got to America?!]

“This tombstone belongs to Byakuya.” The feline looked from the destroyed, hollow stone to the young scientist’s face. He was smirking again, but it held a sort of ironic sadness to it. “Through the Hundred Tales, I was able to find another message from my old man. He used his own tombstone as a time capsule, inside was a record. His last message to me and Lillian’s last song. I’ll let you hear sometime if you want, but yeah, that’s the story of how Ishigami Village was founded.” Stan was quiet, trying to sort everything out. Besides, he got this feeling that Senku isn’t finished just yet. He was right. “The reason I brought you here and told you this is because I wanted to let you know what my true goal is. I’m going to save all of humanity, no exceptions, and I don’t intend on giving up no matter what. I also want to make it clear that if you choose to oppose me, you’ll know exactly what kind of people you’ll be up against. I’ve already dealt with forces stronger than my own before and won. And even if I’m gone, the will of our Kingdom of Science still won’t die, they are capable of moving forward even without me.”

The tabby was picked up and removed from the boy’s lap. He was placed to stand down on the ground, Senku had gotten up himself. He stared at the tombstone for a while before letting out a soft sigh. Turning to face the silver tabby cat, the young scientist got down on one knee. “Like I said before, I don’t need an immediate response, and whatever you choose to do is up to you. I won’t bother you as long as you do the same for me. But, I need to ask. This thing your looking for, do you want me to help you?” Stanley stood there stunned. He was not believing his ears. Senku was offering to help him despite not knowing much about him and would willingly risk trusting him when he could be an enemy. What does he even benefit from this? What does he get out of this arrangement? Information? “Soldier, would you like to have me as an ally? It'd be fine even if it’s temporary. I’m not asking much in return, just that you help me out with some minor tasks here and there.”

”Meow?” [Why?] “Mrrreeeooowww~” [How can you even trust me?]

”Well, it’s simple really.” Now that was a face Stanley was used to seeing on the boy. The devious, maniac grin. “There’s nothing you can really do to stop me. Plus, I think I actually have something you need. When you didn’t find what it was you were looking for in Ishigami Village, you didn’t have any reason to stick around any longer.” Senku stood up and dusted himself. “Sure, you could reason that your survival chances are better with us, but it doesn’t explain why you clung onto me in particular. I don’t doubt that when we first met you truly despised me, and yet you stuck to my side. If I have to guess, it’s because I have access to something the others don’t. So what exactly is that something?” The boy brought his hand to his chin, playfully pacing around like he even needed to think about the answer to that question. “Transportation. You need to cover a lot of ground in your little search, but since nature reclaimed the earth, that’s not easy to do. It is safe to assume that this thing is not in either of the bases I have here, no, it’s not in Japan at all, since you didn’t go beyond the Tsukasa Empire and Ishigami Village. You probably already know where to look next since all your destinations have been pretty specific... The ship we’re building. You want to come with us to the other side of the world, to America. And since I’m in charge around here, I would have the most say in who gets to go. Am I wrong?”

”Meow.” [No.] Stanley grumbled. This was not the direction he thought Senku was planning to take their conversation. And damn was the brat smart. He was literally a mini Xeno, just more softhearted. The boy pretty much got everything right down to a t. He can’t believe for a moment he actually felt emotions for the bastard. Still, everything he told him tonight did give him a different viewpoint of Senku. And the offer for a temporary alliance, it actually didn’t sound half bad. [I might just do it. What do I have to lose? Senku already knows what it is I want from him.]

“Let’s go. I’ll give you the matatabi stick once we get back to the village. You’re free to play with it instead of sleeping if you please.” The teen began to walk away, but Stan remained rooted on the spot. He was too busy contemplating his options. Having not heard any tiny footsteps following him like he was used to, the red-eyed boy gazed over his shoulders at the feline standing by his father’s tombstone. With a confident smirk on his face, Senku called out to him. “I don’t need an answer now. Feel free to properly think it through. I’m a patient man.”

Stan looked up to meet his gaze, a peaceful silence surrounds them. Red meets blue, no words were exchanged, but they seemed to have reached a mutual agreement. The decision can be made at a later date, it was time to turn in for the night. Senku walked off ahead, trusting the cat to be right behind him. But as they got to the foot of the hill, Stanley stopped and looked at the numerous tombstones once more, specifically the damaged one on top, and bowed his head. [Even if I don’t agree with any of you or Senku for getting in Xeno’s way, I can respect your efforts in following your ideals. And...I can respect Senku for making it this far despite the burden he’s entrusted with.] With that, Stan turned and followed Senku back to the village. His head and heart feeling a little heavier than it should. Somehow, the lines between what he should and shouldn’t do have started to blur. Hopefully he’ll have this all sorted out by tomorrow.


	6. Majime

“You seem happy today.” Kohaku has been wondering what’s up with Senku all morning. Her friend had been unusually warm and he had a constant smile on his face, one which held no devious ulterior motive. It was strange, but she did not question it, Senku had always been an enigma in many ways. But when they had boarded the balloon to continue exploring, the blond girl noticed that Soldier was not with him. Senku had explained that he was currently preoccupied with his new “toy” and that he needed some time to himself. Everybody else was dubious of his reasoning, but they just let it go. In the end, Soldier was Senku’s cat, so they can’t really tell him how to raise his own pet, it’s not like the scientist was abusing the cat or anything.

”Ah, is that so?” He just kept smiling, which was starting to creep Kohaku out. What could Senku be so happy about? Her suspicious looks did not go unnoticed by the albino though. “I visited the village cemetery last night. It was refreshing...” Well, that wasn’t a lie, just not the full truth. He promised Soldier they keep this secret between them after all.

”Oh!” She felt embarrassed for intruding. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to...you know.”

”Don’t worry about it, it’s not important right now.” Kohaku wanted to refute that, and let Senku know that it was important, but she never had the chance. Ryusui had already climbed aboard the hot air balloon and they positioned to prepare for lift off. Their conversation prior was left untouched.

“Hey, Senku, the folks of Ishigami Village... These remnants of humanity... Their population hasn’t grown because of food shortages. Am I wrong?” Ryusui had a solemn look of pity on his face. His brown eyes held sorrow for the villagers that were gleefully waving them off and wishing them a safe journey.

His question had hit Kohaku quite hard. The girl walked over to one side of the balloon. Ryusui’s eyes her with sympathy. “Before I was born, the village used to be much bigger. But many perished during one particular bad year when the fish was scarce. Turquoise’s whole family and many others as well... That’s what I heard anyways.”

”There’s a limit to how far hunting and fishing can get you. If we wanna grow, we’re gonna need agriculture. Farming!” Senku had both hands on his hips. He was confident, but his words remained low and respectful. “Heh heh heh, plants know how this game works. They wanna grow too, so they make it worth our while. Humanity basically started working for the plants!”

“Hmph!” In the midst of the dreary mood, Ryusui plantes his foot firmly at the edge of the basket. The young man stood tall and firm, breaking the bleak atmosphere. And with his usual booming voice and charming diligent persona, he made a proclamation to his two companions and the world that stretched out before him. “Were people really put on to this Earth to propagate? Does all life simply exist to reproduce? Is that all there is to it? Only the gods know for sure! BUT I DON’T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THAT!! All I want is to never see a beautiful woman cry again. That’s my desire, AS THE WORLD’S GREEDIEST MAN!” 

Looking at his back. Senku felt his smile widened, the adrenaline in his veins reminded him just what he was working towards. Like what he had told Soldier last night, this was the kind of allies, the kind of friends he had by his side. What would the feline think, after witnessing Ryusui’s convictions he wonders. Surely he would see, that this one man has turned the sin of his greed into his greatest virtue. He had made the right choice in reviving Ryusui.

”We’ll find the seeds of life from up in the sky!! It begins here, Senku... Our age of agriculture!!”

The young scientist and primitive warrior smiled fondly at their captain’s back. With this young man’s help, they have no doubt that they’ll find what they’re looking for. Of course the inspirational atmosphere didn’t last, because Senku decided to open his mouth and revert Ryusui and himself back into their sleazy nature, much to Kohaku’s disappointment. The girl could no longer tell what to think of their captain at that point. It was kind of the same doubts she had with Gen, just on a much higher level.

”He’s simply the world’s greediest man, nothing more, nothing less.” Senku tries to explain to a confused Kohaku.

”It’s pretty simple, really. I’ve never once given up. Not on myself... Not on anyone else...” Staring at his soot-covered hands as he burned more fuel, Ryusui grinned. He was sure of his capabilities, everything he desires will be his.

🐾🐾🐾

This was far more complicated than it originally was. Sure, Stanley wanted to take Senku’s offer, it would definitely help him in getting to America and finding his friend again. But... It strangely feels like he no longer hates Senku, at least to the degree it originally was at. Sleeping with him had already become a habit, the first few times he was hesitant, now Stan actually waits for Senku before going to sleep.

[No, I just need his body heat, because that’s how cats sleep.]

Does Stan still support Xeno and would willingly follow his friend to hell and back? Without a doubt. Would he kill Senku if Xeno tells him to? Definitely. Does he want the brat to die?... Yes? At least not yet. But even if he did, how was he actually going to do that, he’s a cat. He doesn’t even know how to reverse this or how to get back to his own timeline. 

[Weird that the brat didn’t interrogate me about this. Xeno would’ve jumped at the chance to solve this. Is he waiting for my answer?] Not that any amount of interrogation would help. Stan remembers nothing. He fell asleep and woke up a cat, in Japan, in the past. At least they agreed on a method of communication, Stan can just talk to him through Morse code. Though Senku was a bit suspicion of how much of the code he knew by heart, he was probably seeing more militaristic aspects of his personality. No normal person would really learn morse code, with exception of the few who does it for fun.

The silver tabby rolled around the bed, matatabi stick in hand. He was getting so much relief simply from chewing on the thing, like all his stress and concerns had melted away. It was ridiculous how much of his guard had dropped whenever he plays with the stick, but Stan wasn’t complaining, without his cigarettes, his temper, rationality had been all over the place thanks to his absurd situation. He couldn’t even sleep properly without Senku being nearby, even if it wasn’t that cold outside. Now he can easily drift off every now and again, he no longer felt restless, yet mentally drained, so things worked out to his advantage in the end. Stanley could think clearly, now he can behave like a proper cat and not slip up the act in front of an audience. Senku knows and that’s the only person who will ever gets to know amongst the enemies.

[Though, Senku should’ve predicted something like this. I really don’t get that brat.] Why was Senku always willing to help him when there isn’t even a guarantee that he’ll get anything back? This could all just be a ploy, get him to soften up and relax around the boy. But that was far too obvious, he never even denies it when he gets exposed. [He always acts so proud of everything he does, even if it fails.] When Stan had fell off the balloon, Senku showed no anger or irritation with him, instead he was scared for the feline’s safety. Yet didn’t bother to think twice when he jumped. [On the battlefield, that kind of behavior gets you killed. How ironic...I was the one who lost our fight back in America.] Stan puffed his kitty cheeks into a pout. He was never gonna get over getting his perfect record broken by a brat. 

[Senku Ishigami. You piss me off... But, I still owe you my life, unfortunately.] The next time he sees Senku he’ll tell him he accepts his offer. A temporary alliance, until the boy can get him back to America. The only problem were figuring out how to get to Xeno, since Senku’s group was going to end up as his friend’s enemy, dealing with this timeline’s Stanley and finding a way back to his own timeline. Stan rolled the matatabi between his paws playfully, debating his options. [Maybe I can get Senku to just surrender, Xeno would definitely like having his pupil by his side. Spare my perfect record the humiliation and the brat gets to live without the trauma of being shot. That should be enough to pay my debt to him, right? But how do I even do that? He literally told me last night that his little science brigade was not going to let anything get in there way. Stubborn brats, they should really learn to listen to their elders.]

”SOLDIER!” The cat jumped, fur standing on end as a familiar green-tipped haired teen stormed into the room. He barely had time to recollect himself before he was picked up and carried out. “We finally found wheat! Time to start working on agriculture!” The feline had a dumbstruck look the entire time Senku had carried him to join up with the others. The moment he got close enough, Stan was snatched out of Senku’s hold and was brutally petted by Kohaku. She was completely oblivious to his groans of protest. This was going to be a long day.

🐾🐾🐾

Senku works fast, Stan admits that much, his team is nothing to sneeze at either. It didn’t take them more than two day to get the wheat fields going. He also learned a new Senku fact today, Senku can’t cook. The brat seems to understand the process necessary for making bread, but he still ended up with something that Stan mistook for a lump of coal. He’s eaten military rations for most of his teenage and adult years and even he thinks that Senku’s bread was not to be categorized as food. The modern people couldn’t handle it, but the villagers loved it. Especially Kohaku, never in his life had he seen a girl eat so...viciously. 

[The lioness nickname is starting to make sense now... How is she getting through that bread? That thing is as hard as a rock.] Stan was fortunate his endurance was high, other cats might have not survive the girls cuddles, petting and belly rubs. He far prefers Senku to do those things, mostly because Senku never really does them.

Ryusui was whining and complaining about wanting to revive an actual pro-chef. Too bad the last revival fluid was used up back on the balloon, Senku even explained that he could make more, but it would take months to get done. Stan felt incredibly bitter when he was reminded that Xeno and him had every ingredients needed to mass produce the formula, yet they hadn’t even realized it. That was what they were fighting Senku for and it was right under their nose. The brat made clowns out of them. His frustration didn’t go unnoticed by the young scientist though, the boy was looking at him with a raised brow, completely ignoring Ryusui’s scheming and Chrome insulting the sailor brat.

“.- .-. . / -.-- --- ..- / --- -.- .- -.-- ..--..” (Are you okay?) Senku tapped his feet on the ground near Stan, who was resting next to the foot of the table in the middle of the boy’s lab.

“-. --- - .... .. -. --.” (Nothing) He tapped on the teen’s leg with his paw. Senku didn’t look convinced with his response, but didn’t pry any further. He didn’t get the chance to, Ryusui had dragged both him and Chrome off to make a phone call. Stan followed them quietly, because if Senku’s not around he’ll never know what he might missed out on. The boy had always been involved in doing something crazy every time anything happens, probably because the others were sort of dependent on the young scientist. Kind of like their forces back in America depending on Xeno’s orders. Whatever his friend say was like an absolute rule, Stan doesn’t have a problem with it though and if anyone did he would deal with them personally. The rules here was far more lax, everybody had to pitch in wherever they can. If you had no real skill or specific qualities, you can still contribute through simple manual labour. There also doesn’t seem to be a hierarchy in their forces, it all depended on how much you can contribute. Senku was technically the leader and the chief of Ishigami Village, but he doesn’t have any special treatment or privileges. 

[The brat actually does more manual labour than he is physically capable of doing.] Stan couldn’t really picture Xeno doing that. Sure his best friend is responsible for the science and development, but he never really do much of anything outside of his lab. [Senku sure does let himself get swept up by his friends’ shenanigans often.] Blue, cat eyes fell to the teen’s hands. They were cut, rough and covered in dirt. Xeno had those same hands when they first started in the stone world, but they have long been covered by his stainless, white gloves and metal claws. Looking down at his own paws, the feline smirked at the dirt that covered his little paws, staining his silver and black striped fur brown. It was nothing like his white gloves that were occasionally tainted with specks of red. 

Stan sat back in Senku’s lap, nudging the boy to stroke his bad ear as per usual, he complied, and observed as Ryusui interrogated some chick over the phone. From the looks of it, she wasn’t budging from the rich brat’s accusations. Her being difficult didn’t deter Ryusui in the slightest, who was completely sure in himself. When he thought the dispute between those two were going nowhere, a second voice suddenly piped up, shocking the three boys on the opposite end of the call. Stan allowed a small hiss to escape him, he recognized the voice of that dirty, lying, filthy, double-crossing rat anywhere.

”-.-- --- ..- / --. --- --- -.. ..--..” (You good?) Senku lightly tapped a finger on his furry, little head. Stan grunted at how observant the brat was, but kept a neutral face and nodded. 

“Umm, but you didn’t say anything, Senku?” Chrome was confused. The brown-haired boy didn’t get what Gen was spouting about.

”You should know by now our mentalist specializes in dirty tricks.” Yeah, and Stan had brought this kind of man into the heart of their base. He practically handed the enemy all their secrets. He knew that Gen was likely a spy, but he still brought him in and let him walk around freely, supervised of course, still it led to Xeno’s capture. The feline made a mental note to claw at the magician’s face the next time he sees the lying bastard. 

”I wonder what she’d really love to get her mitts on?” Chrome stayed aloud when the lady they were interrogating started to sound persuaded. “Whatever it is, we can probably whip it up with science!”

”Yep. Happily.” Stan purred softly as Senku’s fingers dig into his scalp, like a massage. The teen had done so unconsciously, stroking the feline like it had become second nature. It sometimes slip from the two that they can’t fully trust each other, but there was still the lingering comfort that one had no power to do anything impactful and that the other was too nice to ever really inflict harm unprovoked. It sometimes lead them to act like normal acquaintances, or a human and their animal companion. This was exactly what Stan had been cautious of, Senku was making feel emotions without trying, emotions he had thought he purged when he became a soldier. The brat had a sort of charisma that makes people warm up to him with simple gestures, which can reach deeper with respective individuals. It was hard to hold on to his grudge with each passing day he was with Senku, he still can and would kill Senku, but the personal hatred was not consuming his psyche like back in South America.

”So who are we reviving? Some three-star chef I presume?” Minami said from the other line. Ryusui was elated that they managed to convince her to forfeit the revival fluid.

”We’re reviving Francois! We should have little trouble locating the spot, since we were together when we got petrified.”

”Francois? Your old butler?” Senku raised the question. Meanwhile, Stan swatted Chrome’s hand away when the boy attempted to pet his paw. The brat got a minor scratch out of it. He moped about it, earning an eye roll from Stanley.

“Yes. Butler and personal chef.” The blond boasted. “A master of both fine dining and exemplary service. And a professional who believes in the value of aesthetics above all else!”

”Oh, they sound reliable.” Senku moved to get up, moving Stanley into Chrome’s lap. The boy panicking as the feline was placed in his care. He was hurt by said cat only a moment ago. Stan wasn’t happy about the move either. Chrome was too fidgety for him to relax. Letting out an annoyed huff, the cat jumped off the boy and walked away to follow Senku out of the observatory. All they could do now was wait for this Francois to come to Ishigami Village, which would take at the very least two full days of non-stop walking. 

”Isn’t Francois French? Does he or she speak Japanese?” Ukyo asked two days later. Thinking back, Stanley doesn’t remember anyone who looks remotely European among Senku’s allies. Except that one kid that had blond hair styled into corkscrew curls. There’s no way a kid could be a butler, right? Though said person was also driving a motorcycle, so... They did look pretty ambiguous in many senses.

”Huh, I never thought to ask. I think...Japanese? And was it Francois or Francoise? I can’t remember the exact name or gender.” Everybody looked at the sailor in disbelief. If they’ve known each other for a long time, how could he forget that?! Kohaku and Chrome couldn’t even hold back from vocalizing their shock. “I do know one thing for certain. Francois is the world’s most desirable butler! Nationality? Gender? None of it matters when talking about sheer talent.”

”Pardon me, Ryusui and friends. Please show me the bread you baked.” A petite person, about 160cm tall walked in out of nowhere. Stanley recognized them to be the one from his memory.

Now that he had a closer look, the former military man can say for certain that he can tell absolutely nothing about their gender, nationality or even age. Actually, he’s still confused how this Francois knew they were here to help with the bread. Did Gen told them? Speaking of Gen, Stanley jumped out of Senku’s hold and strutted towards the magician. He was currently kneeling on the ground, completely out of breath. Senku watched the feline with interest, doing absolutely nothing to stop Stanley.

“I’m ooped-pay... Two days, nonstop.” Hugging a couple more breaths, the dual-haired man looked up and was met with a pair of icy-blue eyes. “Oh? Hello kitty.” Stan felt a vein pop and immediately grinned darkly down at the defenseless man. With one swift motion, he brought his claws done on Gen’s face, leaving shallow scratch marks in his wake. “OWW!!! That urts-hay! Senku-Chan, what’s wrong with your cat?!”

Senku simply gave an amused chuckle and an evil smirk. He scooped the silver tabby back in his arms without hesitation as soon as he had swaggered back over to the young scientist’s side. ”No idea what you’re talking about mentalist. Soldier is an innocent, adorable, little fluff ball, just ask Ruri.” The man glared at the pair, which they returned with matching, smug smirks, walking off to follow the others to the cooking station set up for bread-making. 

🐾🐾🐾

Making bread was kind of fun. Francois had allowed Stan to help out in kneading the dough. He did a pretty good job, far better than Senku or Ryusui did. It felt like the times he kneaded at the bedding, or Senku, to find a comfortable place to sleep. When Francois praised him where they scolded Senku and Ryusui for, the feline couldn’t help but be smug about it at the duo’s expense. Still, Francois was amazed by the oven Senku had provided for them. It was impressive how quickly he got to finishing a functioning oven that’s far better than the one they had previously used.

”There are two separate fries in this oven- above and below. This way you can regulate the temperature from each side.” 

“Excellent! From the depths of my heart, I thank you.” They took over everything else from there. Francois sat in front of the oven, waiting for the bread to finish. “I aim for exemplary service. It is my duty to carry out a guest’s every last desire. Because desire...is noble!” Senku looked on at the smaller person, smiling at them with respect and admiration. “When it comes to harder breads everything hinges on the first nine minutes.”

”Oh?” Ryusui stood beside Francois. The bread was almost ready and he wanted to be there to see the results of his butler’s exemplary skills.

”It is during the first nine minutes of baking that the bread rises. How much energy can be transferred to the food in that short time? It is essential that the oven is airtight...” 

In that moment, Senku opened the oven and pumped in a blast of water before shutting it back up. Steam shot out of every possible exit of the oven in large quantities, scaring the two that stood nearby. The boy then cheekily explained what he had just done with confidence. “It’s crazy how simple steam is, scientifically. It’s got more energy than air, far more dense. Heh heh heh... That steam’ll give us a big burst of heat in a flash!!” The aroma of the bread baking had drawn the attention of the other villagers. Francois could only stare at Senku in reserved respect of the man’s skills and genius.

They weren’t the only ones, Stan couldn’t take his eyes off the teen. He just kept on reflecting Xeno’s traits in almost everything he does. The same enthusiastic energy. The same passion for obtaining and utilizing their knowledge. It made Stan homesick, spending time with Senku feels too much like spending time with Xeno. Like he and Xeno were kids again and they were just off doing another crazy experiment that could potentially kill them. Senku wasn’t completely like Xeno though, the boy was far more empathetic and forgiving and trusting, but he treated those traits as strengths instead of a weakness like how Xeno and Stan would see them. Yet the more Stanley saw of the boy, he can’t quite decide if those traits of his are a weakness or not.

The end result of their hard work was definitely worth it. The bread was the most delicious any of them had ever had. Ukyo literally cried. Senku personally picked out every single nut and dried fruit from Stanley’s share, something about it being unsafe for cats. [God, he’s just like Xeno. Worrying about me eating a proper diet like it’s a big deal. News flash, brat, I used to eat nothing but military rations. My tastebuds aren’t picky and my resistance can handle more than you think.] Though he went completely speechless after a single bite of stollen bread. It had a this sweetness that melted in his mouth, but wasn’t overpowering. Crunchy, but not too tough. It made every bite addicting for more. Stan definitely didn’t get food this good back in their base in America. Guess there were some perks of being part of the junior science team after all.


	7. Meraki

They’re making something new again. That lady, Minami, from when Ryusui and Gen had to haggle her for the last revival fluid had called in. Apparently Gen promised her that Senku would make one thing she chooses in exchange for the revival fluid. Whatever it was she had requested of Senku, the young scientist had to call in Kaseki, their craftsman. Stan, as well as everyone else, though they were more shock, was impressed to see the duo drove up to the village in a steam-engine car all the way from the Tsukasa Empire. When Senku whispered what they were making to old man Kaseki, he was so pumped, his muscles contracted and tore through his nice clothing. The feline could’ve been able to live his life just fine without having to witness the naked body of an elderly, buff man. Kaseki was extremely excited as he got to work immediately, Senku and Chrome had gone off to the lab to work on the next part of the project themselves.

Stanley had originally tried to follow Senku to the lab, it felt weird for him to not follow the boy. Like he was just meant to chase after Senku wherever the teen goes, much like in South America, minus the eventual killing. Senku’s side was the only certain safe place for the feline, as ironic as it may sound. But the boy had told him to stay outside since they were going to be dealing with chemicals. So he was left vulnerable to Kohaku’s and the other blond girl’s, Minami, cuddling and pets. 

“Aww, soo cute! Too cute and sweet to be given a name like Soldier! You look more like a Cupcake to me!” Minami was suffocating him with her huge breasts. At that point Stan was willing to risk scratching her to get away. Fortunately he was snatched out of her hold, unfortunately that got him into a crushing hug from Kohaku.

”I like Soldier though! It sounds strong! But it’s probably cooler to call him Tiger or Thunder!” The two kept taking turns cuddling the irked cat. He was getting incredibly angry getting tossed around between the two girls, this was probably the fantasy of many men, but not his. They also kept suggesting new pet names, which were either too cheesy or too crazy brutal. Honestly, Stan never missed Senku’s face than he did now.

”Great names girls. But Soldier is my cat, so the final decision is up to me.” They pouted at the boy, who simply ignored them. Stan was more than delighted to be back in Senku’s arms. He was getting tired of the two girls’ affection. He never really spent time with girls as a teen, the ones he did get to know to a certain degree we’re all in the military. Maybe that’s why he never felt any real attraction to women before, because his demographic of them is skewed. 

“So what did you make?” Senku pointed his thumb over his shoulder at Chrome. Kohaku moved over to the other boy, whom had busy himself with admiring his own reflection in the newly acquired mirror. The blond warrior snatched it out of the male’s hands and examined her own reflection. “Oooh! Is this me?”

”All Minami wanted was a mirror? Really?” Ukyo was confused. The archer didn’t think the reporter would ask for something so simple. She could ask Senku, who possessed a vast amount of scientific, to make her anything and chose to ask for a mirror. It just didn’t sound smart. You don’t need to be a genius to see the advantage of the opportunity.

”Is she just caught up in her own face and beauty?” Chrome had somehow got the mirror back from Kohaku and was once again admiring his reflection like he was in love. The blond probably just gave it to him to avoid becoming a love-struck fool like her friend had become.

”Ha Ha! Don’t be so boorish, Chrome. Every lady is a beauty.” Ryusui said, to the surprise of nobody. “So it’s only natural!”

”The mirror is nice and all, but what I ask for was a tool of my trade!!” Minami had her hands on her hip, clearly not quite satisfied with Senku’s creation. Stan rolled her eyes at her when the girl had the gall to give a pointed glare at Senku, the person who bothered giving a damn about her unnecessary desires. She was being really demanding, had this been America, Xeno would’ve never let anybody doubt his judgement. No, in America, her request would’ve been turned down instantly, but since it was Senku... The feline averted his eyes upwards at the boy. He was smiling, not deterred in any way.

”These mirrors...are for film.” He said smoothly.

”Wait!! You mean...” Ukyo exclaimed, finally realizing what the scientist had actually made. Ryusui seemed to have the same relegations as well.

The teen walked over to the wooden casket Kaseki had made for him. The young scientist placed Stan down and got to work, the feline watching with lingering interest. The albino opened the casing, sliding a single mirror film inside before closing it. Senku then proceeded to pour in salt water into a hole on the side before dumping the liquid out to complete the film, explaining every step of the procedure along the way. They were pretty amazed at how simple the process was. With the finished product in hand, Senku held it out to Minami.

“The Daguerreotype! History’s first camera.” 

Minami looked at the camera, then at Senku. She said nothing, her features were stuck in awe and what Stanley assumed to be genuine gratitude. The girl reached out for the camera, shaking with unspoken emotions. Senku lets go of the old-fashion device, allowing the blond to hug it close to her chest. Her emotions may have been to much to be held in as she had fallen to her knees mere seconds after, tears and snot running down her face. She was crying in joy, greatful for having her request fulfilled. Everyone else stood by and watched, respectful enough to let the vulnerable girl recollect herself.

”Thank you. With this camera... I’ll capture it all. A record of the civilization we’re building from scratch. A record of our new world.”

Stanley watched on, completely silent. He wasn’t quite sure what to think of this situation. Actually, looking at the faces of everybody here, they all seemed so happy and determined, hopeful. It was a simple gesture and this was Minami’s reaction, which somehow had sparked something in the others watching as well. [How can they be so easily swayed by Senku?] Minami had responded so strongly to a simple camera, she kept holding onto it like a lifeline. They all look so happy for her too. What exactly did Senku just do? Didn’t he did this just to pay Minami back for the revival fluid? He just relayed a debt, that’s all. But their reactions had proved it was far more than that. [Just what kind of person are you, Senku Ishigami?] Speaking of Senku, Stan realized that the boy next to him had suddenly disappeared. He was so busy watching the reporter lady that he didn’t notice the scientist had gone off to who knows where. He had dropped his guard to such a degree?!

”Yep! And we’ll be taking plenty of pictures too from up in the hot-air balloon.” 

[Oh! There he...is...? When in the world?!]

”SO MANY!!” Senku had came back to the group, pushinga wheelbarrow filled with numerous Daguerreotype cameras. Stan sweat dropped at the amount the boy had made. The better question was when did he have time to make all those, he had only been gone for a couple of seconds. 

[Were those prepared in advance?] At the very least, Senku’s entrance with the cameras had broken the spell over everyone. Things had gone from deeply emotional to anticlimactic in the blink of an eye. [Good. It was getting far too mushy for me.]

”Right! For our airborne survey.” Ryusui said excitedly with a snap of his fingers. “This’ll give us aerial photos!”

”It’ll be ten billion percent better than trying to spit stuff with the naked eye! That’s why we created these cameras!” Ukyo and Chrome seemed a little crestfallen, but still kind of within their expectations. They kind of already knew that Senku was the sort to take any available advantage he can get. It just felt a little bit like bad timing, since Minami was...well crying.

”You made it out like a gift for dear Minami, but now she comes off looking like a dupe...” Even though it felt that way, and everybody had come to expect this from Senku, Stan wasn’t convinced. Sure a camera was useful, but he couldn’t help but feel like there was more to it than that. Senku just wasn’t the type he would see as an emotional manipulator, actually that fits more with the lying, rat-bastard, Gen, if anyone.

In the end, they all agreed that Minami can take the first picture for commemoration. Ryusui took the privilege of paying her for that right, which she wasn’t pleased with, until he explained that since this is an advent of a scientific civilization, it should be a picture of Senku. The scientist tried to run away by climbing into the balloon, but Ryusui was stronger and faster, and caught him before Senku could escape. The next few moments involved changing Senku’s wardrobe, which Francois had miraculously planned ahead for, Stan was a little shaken by how far ahead they thought, and setting up for the picture. The albino got irritated by the constant clothes change and posing fast, he ended up just tossing them all away and climbed into the balloon.

”Okay, whatever! Fancy clothes’ll only get in the way up in the air. If you’re gonna take the photo, just take it already.”

”Would you mind posing, at least?!” Kohaku, Ukyo and Stan were in disbelief at Minami’s suggestion. Neither of the three could picture that happening. It just goes beyond reason.

”Why not strike a pose reminiscent of history’s most famous scientist?” Thank goodness for Francois. Senku looked to be considering it. He eventually gave in and just shrugged his shoulders in agreement.

Minami got ready to take the picture, but paused. “Wait! Wait! Wait! Do it with Soldier!”

”Huh?” Before the boy could say anymore, Kohaku grabbed the cat and shoved him into Senku’s hold, her blue eyes glinted with excitement. Stan grunted from the force, not to mention Senku almost dropped the feline due to the sudden weight on his arms. “W-Wait a minute! Sorry...” He struggles to adjust the Tabby into a more proper positioning.

”This will be soooo cute!!!” Minami and Kohaku squealed from the camera.

”Seriously?” Senku grumbled in annoyance. He wonders if they would still think Soldier as cute if they found out about him being a human and could potentially be an enemy. He has yet to receive an answer from the cat, actually he doesn’t even know Soldier’s real name, but it’s not like the feline would actually tell him. The boy couldn’t help but feel cautious around the cat, like there was something the tabby wasn’t telling him, even if he plays it off like he doesn’t give him much thought. The tension between them may be ignored by both parties most of the time, but it hasn’t disappeared yet. 

“Well, it does make sense, Senku. You two never really separated since you first found him.” Ukyo smiled sincerely. The young scientist couldn’t deny the truth in the archer’s reasoning and just sighed. It’s also what everyone wanted, so he was already outvoted. The boy and the silver tabby briefly looked at each other, coming to a wordless agreement.

”I’ll take the picture now. Get ready. 3, 2, 1!” Stan and Senku stuck out their tongue as the flash was emitted from the camera, taking their picture. The first picture of the Kingdom of Science. It was also, their first picture together, just the two of them.

🐾🐾🐾

It’s been a long day. After taking countless pictures up on the balloon, they had landed and now Senku and Ryusui were busy examining each photos for any possible hint of the location of the Sagara Oil Field. The two boys had worked long into the night, everybody else had already headed off to bed. The blond was so exhausted that he fell asleep at the work table. That just left Stan and Senku as the last two still awake. The silver tabby had been spending his time playing with a matatabi stick in the corner of the lab while the two boys looked through each photo meticulously.

At the sight of the blond sailor falling asleep, Stan stopped with his playing. He waited for a few good minutes to be sure that Ryusui was actually deep asleep before abandoning the matatabi and walking towards the work table, covered with stacks of aerial photos. The feline effortlessly jumped onto the stacked photographs, sitting right in front of Senku. He didn’t notice, far too invested with looking over the picture he had been observing for about half an hour now.

”Meow~” Taking his gaze off his current task, red eyes finally acknowledged the silver tabby. The teen gave him a raised brow, not sure what Stan could possibly want. He didn’t really need anything in particular actually, Stan just wanted to ask some questions that’s been on his mind for quite a while, so he began to tap the ground with his paws. “.-- .... -.-- / - .... . / -.-. .- -- . .-. .- ..--..” (Why the camera?)

”Because we owe her for reviving Francois. Plus I also had a use for it, so it’s a win-win.” Stan didn’t believe that. There’s definitely more, because then Senku wouldn’t have bothered making such a spectacle. No, he highly doubts that Senku had planned all that, cus then he could’ve done it much sooner. But instead he simply took advantage of an unpredicted outcome. He just seemed far too genuine when he handed Minami that camera for it all to just be a ruse. Senku might’ve fooled everybody else, but he couldn’t fool his observation skills. No, he had put in actual effort into the camera, not for himself, but as a gift for someone else. It wasn’t love, even the silver tabby can’t picture Senku ever being romantically involved with anything outside of science.

”-.-- --- ..- / -.-. --- ..- .-.. -.. / .... .- ...- . / .-. . .--- . -.-. - . -.. / .... . .-. .-.-.- / -... ..- - / -.-- --- ..- / -.. .. -.. / -. --- - .-.-.- / -.-- --- ..- / -.. .. -.. / .. - / -... . -.-. .- ..- ... . / -- .. -. .- -- .. / .- ... -.- . -.. --..-- / -. --- - / -... . -.-. .- ..- ... . / .. - / .-- .- ... / -.-. --- -. ...- . -. .. . -. - .-.-.- / .. ..-. / .. / .- -- / .-- .-. --- -. --. --..-- / - .... . -. / .-- .... -.-- / -. --- - / .--- ..- ... - / -- .- -.- . / . -. --- ..- --. .... / ..-. --- .-. / .- . .-. .. .- .-.. / .--. .... --- - --- ... ..--.. / -.-- --- ..- / -.. .. -.. / -. --- - / .... .- ...- . / - --- / -- .- -.- . / . -..- - .-. .- ... / ..-. --- .-. / .... . .-. / ... .- -.- . .-.-.-” (You could have rejected her. But you did not. You did it because Minami asked, not because it was convenient. If I am wrong, then why not just make enough for aerial photos? You did not have to make extras for her sake.)

Senku felt the corner of his lips twitched upwards. He has an observant one on his hand. There seems to be no fooling Soldier, that just makes him all the more dangerous as a potential enemy. Still, Senku loves a good challenge, and it’s not like he’s hiding malicious. “You sure have a lot to say...” A thin tail smacked him in the face. “Geez, chill. I did it because I could. And yeah it was also convenient.” Stan tilted his head to the side, clearly not understanding Senku’s path of reasoning. The boy sighed, he really didn’t want to bring up feelings into this conversation, especially when the cat’s standing is still unclear. “Sometimes you do nice things for others just for the hell of it. Minami is a very skilled, very talented reporter, whom was personally picked by Tsukasa himself, so I know she’s good.”

[Tsukasa? You sure say that name a lot, Senku.] Stan still doesn’t know who this Tsukasa was, but with how Senku talks about him, it was somebody the boy undoubtedly trust. He assumes they were close friends or something, the only friend he did knew that Senku always kept with him was Taiju. Supposedly Gen had mentioned this before that the reason he mistaken Taiju as the scientist was because they were always together, turns out it was just a blatant lie. The only ones Stan noticed Senku to spend the most times with was Chrome, Kohaku and Ryusui. He’s never even met this Taiju person. Tsukasa must’ve been an exceptionally important person for Senku to blab about him so often.

”I don’t doubt our reporter will make good use of her gift, better than the rest could. She’s passionate with her role, needs little incentive to do what she does. I’ll always respect someone who works hard to achieve their goals, regardless of what that may be.” The boy leaned against a nearby shelf, arms crossed over his chest. Senku had this far off look in his eye. Stan watched as the scientist’s face contorted into a serendipitous smile. “You saw how she reacted today, that camera wasn’t just a tool, it was like an extension of her identity. Minami wouldn’t be who she is, as skillful as she is if she hadn’t dedicated herself to her craft. I made an effort because I wanted someone like her as an ally more than anything else.” 

“-... ..- - / - .... . -.-- / -. . . -.. / -.-- --- ..- / -- --- .-. . / - .... .- -. / -.-- --- ..- / -. . . -.. / - .... . -- .-.-.- / .. ... / .. - / -. --- - / . .- ... .. . .-. / - --- / - .- -.- . / .-- .... .- - . ...- . .-. / -.-- --- ..- / .-- .- -. - / -... . -.-. .- ..- ... . / -.-- --- ..- / .... --- .-.. -.. / -- --- .-. . / .--. --- .-- . .-. ..--..” (But they need you more than you need them. Is it not easier to take whatever you want because you hold more power?) He didn’t understand it. Senku had more control than anybody else in this kiddie Kingdom of Science. Everybody should be able to realize that without his scientific knowledge, living a life in the stone world would be much harder. Imagine if there was a disease breakout, Senku would be a lifeline. Xeno took advantage of this back in America, why else would a bunch of trained, elite, military personnel follow him unquestioningly? Well, they also didn’t want to deal with Stanley. Point was, Xeno could make them all the tools, shelters, weapons and anything else they needed, all they had to do in return was obediently follow his rule. Senku could do the same, he didn’t have to butter everybody up like he was doing now.

”So you’re suggesting I enforce my beliefs onto them, because without me they’ll die, is that what I’m hearing?” Stan nodded his head. What he’s saying makes sense, Senku should get that. But he didn’t, he frowned disapprovingly at Stan instead. “Fear isn’t a liable way to maintain loyalty. If anything, it encourages desperation and people will try to find a way out of it the first chance they get. I prefer to be surrounded by friends that don’t secretly wish for my downfall. Trust and teamwork only succeeds if all parties involved play their part. Besides, I’ve been taught that the way you treat others is how others will treat you.” 

For a moment, an image of Byakuya appeared in his mind. His father was the kindest person Senku has ever met. It wasn’t hard to see that he gave his son everything he ever asked for without hesitation because he loved the boy. Byakuya was someone that was hard to hate, even if there were those who started off disliking him or refuses to admit their respect for the man, he always got others to warm up to him. The man gave more than he took, he worked hard to follow his ideals and achieve his dreams, but he never once berated those that were different from him. He was the kind that continued to see the best in humanity till the very end. If there was anyway Senku could prove that Byakuya meant everything to him it was by being himself, the aspirational individual, who can find a solution without losing his morals and integrity, that his father believed him to be. Sure it’s harder, but if it was easy then everybody would’ve already done that. If being nice for the sake of being nice was simple then conflict wouldn’t exist in the first place.

There are so many things that Senku should be upset about, things that should make him cry, give up and just become downright hateful, but where would that lead him? Nowhere good, he wouldn’t benefit from such irrational thinking. His best step in response to any bad thing that happens to him was to learn and move on, because the world isn’t going to wait for him. If he ever wants to make into space, solve the mystery of the petrification and bring humanity back to its former glory, he needs help, a lot of it. One man alone couldn’t make a difference, but one man is enough to start a ripple effect in others. Byakuya had done just that for Senku and now he’s left, believing Senku would find a way to push humanity forward. That’s what his science is for, him and everybody else. If there are benefits then it would be for all of them. The boy’s science was what made him human, it makes him feel whole and connected to his deceased parent. Using science to build the Kingdom of Science, Senku did not regret a single thing he’s done up to this point. He had Byakuya to thank for that, the astronauts as well, and all his friends and allies for their support, even if he would never say it out loud.

“You’re wrong, Soldier. I need my friends, just as much as they need me.” The silver tabby gave him an incredulous look. Senku’s not sure what kind of life he had before they met or before Soldier became a cat, but it may have been one that was probably far more self-centered and arrogant. He likely didn’t have many people he trusted or would risk too much for. He wasn’t like Senku, who grew up to being self-reliant and confident. “I give just as much as I take. It’s only fair. At least that way people would understand that I don’t want to be their enemy.”

”... --- ..- -. -.. ... / .-.. .. -.- . / .- / .-- .- ... - . / --- ..-. / - .. -- . .-.-.- / - .... . .-. . / .. ... / . ...- . -. / - .... . / -.-. .... .- -. -.-. . / - .... .- - / .. - / .-- --- ..- .-.. -.. / -. --- - / .-- --- .-. -.- .-.-.-” (Sounds like a waste of time. There is even the chance that it would not work.) Stan just doesn’t get it. Why take that kind of risk? Senku couldn’t possibly win everyone over. Not everybody will like him. Doesn’t he realize that his views will draw out enemies who will take advantage of him and try to stop him? [You can’t expect everyone you meet to agree with you. It’s better to get rid of anything that threatens what you stand for or they’ll get rid of you.]

”You believe that? I don’t know, it seems to be working on you.” Senku smirked deviously at the cat. He would love to see how the tabby counters that argument. Blue eyes widened as the feline stiffened at the boy’s statement. Senku gave a low chuckle at his reaction. The scientist moved over to the sleeping Ryusui and slung the blond’s arm over his shoulder, allowing the larger male’s weight to be shifted on to him. The boy grunted from the force pushing on his thin frame, legs shaking and unable to properly stand straight. “Oh, and you don’t need to give me an answer for the offer I made you. I’m pretty confident I know what you chose. Feel free to join me to bed whenever you’re ready. We’re going to sleep in the observatory tonight.”

Stanley said nothing as Senku half carry, half dragged Ryusui away. He was left alone in the lab, staring aimlessly at the doorway. The albino’s words stuck with him. His logic was flawed, but he pointed the flaws in Stanley’s own. Neither were completely right or wrong, but one thing Senku said that was completely true was that he’s changed. His view of Senku has changed and it was because Senku showed him kindness, trusted him despite him being a stranger, treated him well even if he might not benefit from it. His reasonless compassion added with the nostalgic curiosity and lust for knowledge made Stan’s hateful desires towards the teen dwindle. This change was so subtle that Stan had personally sought to learn more about the boy, not for intel, but just because of curiosity and did so like it was natural, like they were friends.

[Me and Senku...? Friends...?] The silver tabby gazed at the image the boy had been previously studying before he had interrupted him. He wanted to know why Senku did what he did and now he knows, the product of it was that he got comfortable with the young scientist. This should’ve alarmed Stanley, but he wasn’t that as bothered by it as he expected. He was kind of okay with their closeness. [Fuck! Brat, just what the hell did you do to me?]


	8. Myriad

The weather was getting colder, Stan wouldn’t be surprised if snow would fall soon. He himself, have been feeling far more sluggish due to the drop in temperature. Senku had told him that some cats go into torpor when their body temperature decreases, so the scientist had him sit out most of there expedition in search of the oil. It’s been a couple of days since aerial photography had been thrown in as part of the hunt, but they were still far from finding a hint of their treasure. The villagers had also started using the photos to stock up for winter. Still, things were looking pretty bleak for Senku and the others, their winter deadline for finding the oil was almost up.

Stanley wasn’t really feeling up to any task right now. Honestly, he just wanted to sleep, his metabolism has slowly down greatly from the cold. But at the same time, he didn’t want to sleep throughout the day, that would leave him vulnerable and his inner soldier refuses to except any vulnerability, ever. Senku had left him alone in the observatory that morning as he and the others went back to working on studying the aerial photography. Since nobody was here and there was nothing better to do, sleeping again is not an option, he decided to just spy on others using the telescope. Nothing really happened, which just further bored the cat. He couldn’t mess with Senku since the boy is busy and he didn’t trust the other brats too much, especially the women, they kept of invading his personal boundaries.

He hated this, not being able to do anything and feeling so inactive, it wasn’t like him at all. But there’s no fighting against an animal’s natural instincts. Winter was close and unless he can find a way to maintain warmth during the cold season, he’ll be spending the next few months sleeping throughout most of the days. He was already bored with how often Senku leaves him to his lonesome the past few days, Stan had come to acknowledge the boy as a temporary Xeno substitute, so he expected to be around him as often as possible everyday. Senku may not check off everything on his best friend list, but he came closer than he imagine anyone ever could, so he’ll take it. That and he didn’t mind Senku’s considerate side, he knows not to coddle Stan and actually takes him seriously, even before learning of his situation. 

[The brat isn’t so bad, I guess...] Stan almost missed him whenever he leaves in the morning. Senku was so dedicated to his role that he usually doesn’t come back till late at night. Somebody else in the village would actually have to come and feed him. They would try to pet him and play with him, but a single menacing glare was enough to get his message across. And if it doesn’t, he would hiss or threaten to scratch them. Stanley would prefer to do something with his day, he doesn’t intend to spend it sleeping or waiting for Senku to come back. He doesn’t want to go outside the observatory though, too cold. And he doesn’t approve of cuddling for earth with anyone other than Senku. The brat was the only one who’s allowed to because he’s used to it. 

Going to the lower floor of the observatory, the storehouse where Chrome keeps all his rock collection, the feline went to look for his matatabi stick Senku left for him. It’s all he has to busy himself with. Time always seems to moved faster when he’s engrossed with chewing and rolling the stick around. But that was all Stan had to do that day, playing with the matatabi stick, spying on the villagers, and as much as hated to admit it, napping. He spotted Senku and the junior science team returning to the village around late in the afternoon, looking tired and worn out. Yet none of them stopped to rest for a second upon their arrival and moved on to studying the aerial photography immediately. Stan pouted when the two kiddie scientists stopped by the observatory for supplies, but Senku didn’t stop for a minute to acknowledge him. He had even meowed desperately for the boy to look at him just once, he was bored out of his mind for god’s sake, just for Chrome to give him a pity pet, while Senku paid him absolutely no mind.

Willing to endure the cold, the feline hopped out of the observatory and strutted to the lab with a purpose. He will not be ignored by a brat, not after he given him the honour of being his substitute friend. But when he was at the lab, everybody was half awake. They looked like zombies, their skin was practically white since it was so cold outside and eyes were vacant. [God, when was the last time they ate or slept?] Actually, Senku was very thin for someone his age, but Stan just assumed that it had to do with living in the stone world, now it might be from overwork. He knows the reason why the brats were pushing themselves, it was only a matter of time till the deadline. [Maybe I should leave Senku be for now.] Why were they in such a rush to find oil anyway? What was the ship even for? Do they really need to rush the voyage to America? [Senku mentioned the reason during his rant before. What was it?] 

He knows it had something to do with the petrification event, but the boy never specify why he is rushing to find the source. Right now, Stan still believe it to be smarter to work on fortifying their current base. After all, they were incredibly outgun when they got to America. It’s like the boy didn’t care for the creation of weapons of destruction, since they still rely on swords, spears and bow and arrows here. This lines up with Senku’s pacifist thinking though, truly further proving his naïveté to the silver tabby. Stanley would never approve of his mercy in battle, that would just get them killed. But he does approve of his diligence. Senku and Chrome literally collapsed that night when they finally returned to the observatory to sleep that night. The feline couldn’t even snuggle up to the albino, he was sleeping in a really weird position that should be incredibly uncomfortable. He likely didn’t have enough energy to reposition himself. 

Senku was surprisingly cute when he was asleep, he always looked so peaceful and not like he spent 80% of his energy overthinking everything, but that’s pretty obvious now, kudos to the dark bags under his eyes. It’s not the first time Stan has seen the boy sleeping, he just never paid much attention to him to take note. But today he was in need of some attention, which Senku denied him the entire day. It was for a reasonable cause, but Stan didn’t have to like it. He did almost nothing the whole day and talking to Senku was the few source of entertainment he had during the milder days. Stanley wasn’t prepared for the albino to treat him like air all day, not when he was so used to Senku being cautious of every move he made or trembling in fear at the possibility of his presence being near, like when he was hunting the teen down. Now that Senku knew Stan wanted his help so would cooperate, he got less attention from him, it made him feel...bad in a way. 

“Tsukasa...” The feline growled when he heard the soft, sleepy mumble slip from the scientist’s lips. This happened before, on multiple occasions, Senku mumbling randomly that same name. 

[Just who is Tsukasa?!] His memory is impeccable, he’s remembered every name and face of every single villager and the junior science team, sure there were some back in Tsukasa Empire that he didn’t know of, but he’s certain that Senku has not spent time with anyone ever since his arrival with a person called Tsukasa. At one point the feline just thought that Senku was talking about the name of their other base of operation, but then he mentioned in their past conversation that Tsukasa was in fact a person. He doesn’t know who, but he doesn’t like that his substitute friend thinks more for someone who’s never around than he does for Stanley. The former soldier just couldn’t imagine Xeno ever replacing him, he admit that he had been a little jealous when his best friend started paying more of his attention elsewhere when he first had a disciple. Now it feels like the process was repeating itself. 

His friendship with Xeno was everything to him. When they were about to be petrified, his first reaction was to defend his friend. When they first established their control in America, he followed Xeno without question. The only reason he could ever accept Senku as a friend was by convincing himself that as Xeno’s student, Senku held a piece of both his character and knowledge within him, which is why he was comfortable with their new, stable relationship. Every time he looks at the boy, he would always see glimpses of his childhood friend, it made Senku’s side feel so much more secure than anywhere else. So he doesn’t appreciate said friend ignoring him for 24 hours and dreaming about another person who he hasn’t interacted with in weeks, probably even longer. He never really liked listening to Xeno talk about Senku, he likes it even less to hear “Xeno” talk about this Tsukasa person, especially in his dreams.

”Tsukasa...I got you...tag teaming with you...relax and die...” His ears fell as the boy kept talking in his sleep. Placing a paw softly on his mouth, Stan hope Senku would just shut up already! “...Wait for me...Tsukasa...” 

Yeah! Okay! He had enough of this! The cat was getting tired of hearing his “friend” say that name. He left the observatory and went to the storehouse, trying to distract himself with a matatabi stick. He pawed and gnawed at the piece of wood a little aggressively, trying to immerse himself in the pleasure. It caused the thing to slip from his hold after a particularly harsh toss and ended up rolling between some pots of minerals and ended up in a deep corner in the far back, much to the tabby’s frustration. Had it not been for his slender cat body, he might’ve had to move the pots instead of simply slinking right between them. 

Rather than retrieving the stick and leave, he noticed something tuck in the back. A small stack of parchment, mostly blank except for the one on top. The way it was sprawled over with x marks made it resemble a star chart of some kind, but what had caught his eye was the order in which they were drawn. He might not be an expert in astrophysics like Xeno, but even he could tell that it wasn’t a constellation, since he doubted any constellation requires that many stars. No, it was more in the shape of Japanese characters, spelling out a message perhaps. Stan could barely listen to Japanese, much less read it. The feline wasn’t quite sure what he was looking at. The first part doesn’t seem like any word he knew, but the second and third part was somewhat readable. It spelt out the words “I’m here.”

[What a strange message?] Depending on context, that message could be either an SOS or a threat. Looking the parchment over, Stan could tell it was old, possible around a decade or so, meaning Senku didn’t write this or anyone who was petrified back in 2019. The only ones who could’ve been around during that time were the Ishigami villagers. [They can speak Japanese, but can they actually write? This parchment was also placed in a very secluded area, like it’s been forgotten.] The only reasonable answer Stanley could come up with was Chrome, but again, he doubted the boy knew how to write long before Senku came along. He eyed the message a few more times, still unable to read the first bit, but it was starting to look like a name spelling. [Whats with this weird method of writing?] Xeno had shown him star charts before back when he first took an interest in astronomy, these marks drawn on the parchment really reminded Stan of stars. [No normal person would write like that, especially someone who doesn’t even know how to write. Was Chrome trying to draw or outline something?] Considering how said boy is so easily drawn to Senku’s science, it wasn’t implausible for him to examine and explore random things he don’t understand way back when. This message might just be one of them.

Out of curiosity, the silver tabby took the parchment in his mouth and made his way upstairs to the observatory. He didn’t know why, but he wanted to decode this message and his intuition was telling him that the stars might be a clue. Pulling up to the telescope, Stan laid the parchment out by his side, being sure to be extra quiet to not wake the boys up. He moved towards the scope and began searching for any hints of the drawing shown on the parchment, but just as the feline expected, there were no stars that even come close to the positioning that was drawn up. [Maybe I’m looking at this wrong. If it’s not a bunch of star then it could be just one star?] Ok, even Stanley could hear how dumb that thought sounded. If it was just one star, then it couldn’t have been in so many different positioning in only a couple of years. This parchment couldn’t have been that old, yet there were 158 x marked across its front. [What could’ve possibly moved so fast in such a short amount of time? Not a star or a planet that’s for sure. Then...a space station...? The ISS...can’t be...] From what Stan could remember, the ISS fully orbits the Earth at least 15-16 times per day. [Chrome wouldn’t know what a satellite even is, much less a space station. Could he have unintentionally tracked the ISS? It would make sense, that thing was a satellite that can be seen with the naked eye sometimes at night...]

Stan glanced over the message once again. Everything seems to line up with his theory, after all, star constellations don’t have that many stars held so closely together, nor is their shape that exact. The ISS on the other hand, it’s posi may change depending on the time you see it. It’s also the only thing that could orbit the Earth that often. Stanley doubts that if a change in a single star occurred anyone would ever notice it without proper knowledge or equipment, but the ISS is occasionally visible and it’s movem are pretty consistent due to how close it is to the Earth. No, the only thing that doesn’t add up was the fact that it should’ve burned up in the atmosphere millenniums ago. The only way it could still be functioning is if there was still someone left to maintain it. But that itself was impossible, firstly, according to Senku all the astronauts passed away after living on some island off the coast of Japan. Secondly, resources were needed to keep it running, and humans could no longer send anything up into space. Finally, it’s just not possible to live up there, human lifespan could only last about a hundred year, Stan doubts anyone could have lasted in those conditions for so long, it’s not exactly suitable of a place to start reproduction.

[I should just leave this to an actual scientist.] Rolling up the parchment up and carrying it with his mouth, Stanley gazed up at the night sky. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was out there, waiting. It was not justified in any way, but he believed that this message was meant to be a reminder for someone. It was a little ominous, but also sentimental and held a tone of longing about it, patiently waiting to be heard. There’s nothing to back up his current theory, he only had his instincts, but Stan was never one to doubt his instincts. Peering into the pitch black, blue eyes identified multiple stars scattered across the heaven. It was beautiful beyond words. The longer he gazed the more he noticed something twinkling moved far in the distance. [A shooting star...? That’s strange, I don’t remember there being a star in that spot last night...]

Walking away from the telescope, he soundlessly approached Senku’s sleeping form. Parchment still in his mouth, the former soldier nudged the boy’s arm with his head, trying to wake him up. Senku stirred in his sleep, rolling over to his other side, now facing Stanley. The silver tabby pressed a little more to get the scientist’s attention, he wanted some insight on his findings, but the albino just grumbled in his sleep. A slender arm reached for Stan and pulled him close. The tabby then found himself in a warm hug against the younger male’s chest, both arms wrapped comfortably tight around the feline, but not constricting him. Stan maneuvered the parchment from his mouth into his tiny paws like a body pillow, to avoid it from being damaged.

”Go to sleep, Soldier...I’m not jumping off a balloon again...I’ll get you to America, just behave...I promise...I’ll never forget about you...” was what Stan heard the boy mumbled out. He felt his lips twitched upwards slightly. Was Senku dreaming about him? Somehow knowing this made something warm grow in the depths of his chest. He couldn’t resist snuggling even closer to the boy. It felt nice, sleeping next to Senku and all. His eyelids were heavier now, whatever thoughts he previously had was pushed to the back of his subconscious. They can be dealt with later. Right now, Stan just want to relish the warmth he got by being next to Senku, his friend.

That night, Stanley had one of the best sleep in a good while. So much so that he sunk his claws in the scientist’s sleeve when he woke up and attempted to leave, while he was still fully asleep. Senku made quick work of detaching himself from his cat, replacing his body warmth with a blanket draped over the animal. The boy was barely awake when he and Chrome left the observatory to continue their hunt for oil. Neither teen’s had noticed the piece of parchment held protectively by the sleeping cat, far too focus with their current agenda and weren’t awake enough to acknowledge the change in Soldier’s toys. 

By the time Stan had awoken, it was almost noon. He opened his eyes to an empty observatory and the lingering warmth in the area beside him that once belonged to a certain green-tipped, albino haired scientist with bright red eyes. He was disappointed at realizing that it was going to be another day being bored with his lonesome, but he’ll manage. He had some peace of mind knowing Senku still thought of him as a priority, even if he’s just one of many. With time, he’ll get more of the boy’s attention back. Actually, the sooner this oil was found, the more likely he can get the ship sailing and Senku’s attention. Rather than just sitting on the side and waiting, Stanley decided to go out and play a more active role in the hunt.

The silver tabby moved into the storehouse. Going back to the same corner he visited last night, Stan returned the parchment back where he found it. [That’s a problem for another time. For now, finding oil is more important.] The pots were pushed back into their original position before the feline made his way out of the observatory, risking the cold. He promised himself he come back for that parchment at a later date. Stretching his body, then peering up at the clear blue sky, he thought about that shooting star he saw.

[Whoever is out there? If there’s anyone at all, wait a little longer. I’m sure Senku will do something eventually. He’s just that kind of man.] Stan snorted to himself. First he accepted Senku as a sort-of, substitute, temporary friend, now he’s actually calling him a man rather than a brat. He was getting way too fond of him, but maybe Senku was feeling the same way too. Finally able to look away from the sky, the silver tabby gracefully sprint to the lab, ready to lend the junior science team a paw or two.


	9. Uhkaava

They found the oil! Finally! Just when they were about to meet the winter deadline too. Senku couldn’t feel anything but joy and relief, that was one more step closer to departing for the source of the petrification beam. He was fortunate they got to the boat in time, any second later and it would’ve been stewed. Now they had found the Sagara Oil Field and Suika gets to keep Sagara, everybody wins. It didn’t take too many days for their Kingdom of Science to set up a small farm to collect the oil.

“Now the only thing left for me to do is earn enough money to use it.” Red eyes narrowed at a certain blond wearing a pirate hat. He had given them a tough task to accomplish, the amount of oil their trip needed was high. The money they needed to raise was going to take some time, so far depending on Mirai, Suika and Yuzuriha’s work isn’t getting them quite enough. “Hopefully I’ll come up with something before we finish building the ship. Until then...” The scientist looked down at the cat in his arm, nuzzling against his chest for warmth. Senku wasn’t sure why the tabby insisted he come along when clearly the temperature was making him inactive. 

It brings Senku great comfort and satisfaction whenever he scratched behind Soldier’s right ear. The teen was never unamused by the way the feline purred under his touch, leaning towards his hand for more. The very first day he met the silver tabby was unreasonably hostile towards everyone, especially him, but he seemed to allow for his torn ear to touched by the boy. Now, the cat was quickly getting comfortable with him, though still a little closed off from everybody else. Soldier trusts him a little more now, maybe they could even be called friends, but... The silver tabby is definitely still secretive about a lot of things. Senku chose to not question it because he didn’t want to intrude, but that didn’t mean he was naive enough to let the cat walk all over him. He still needed the truth, but if he doesn’t get it from the cat, then he’ll make do with dealing with what comes his way using his science. The boy just hopes their little friendship won’t break down anytime soon. He was already hurt (and killed) once by someone he would’ve called a friend had things been different.

”Soldier, wake up. We’re going to be testing the oil soon.” The cat grumbled as Senku attempted to lower him down on their new speed boat. Soldier grunted as he groggily moved off the boy, who just flash him a natural smile. The teen watching as his cat carefully navigated his way on the boat, careful not to get his fur wet. It was funny to watch his furry friend acting so scared and cautious. There’s so much he doesn’t know yet, and he worries that this friendship was nothing but an illusion on both their parts. He was not a fan of self delusion. Only time will tell where the tabby’s loyalty truly lies, he just needs to wait. Though there was one question he was itching to ask Soldier more than anything else. Facing away from the cat, Senku looked towards his friends approaching the mini vessel, smirking in satisfaction at their shocked faces. “Time to test out our new oil.”

”Is...that...?” Gen’s voice shook. His eyes not really believing what he was currently seeing, even though he should already be used to it. Ryusui was no better. They just got back to the Tsukasa Empire and already they had a speedboat prepared.

“You bet, a motorboat!! Ahh...sorry. You were asking about the engine, not the boat, right...? He moved over to the engine, showcasing the craftsmanship. “Good eye-This beaut’s a stirling engine, remember the stirling cryocooler we used to put Tsukasa on ice?” Stan’s ears perked at the name. He gave the scientist a bemused look. He did what to Tsukasa? The tabby definitely has more questions now. Though he was still grumpy about Senku talking about this “Tsukasa” person again. “It converted piston movement into a heat differential. This reversed the process, using heat to operate the pistons...”

Gen caught none of that. The dual-haired man was just more confuse now. “Thanks for the explanation nobody asked for.”

”!Do we have all we need...” Ryusui on the other hand, was absolutely stoke. They were finally going to do take the first step. “...To go out to sea now?!” Senku said that it depends on the quality of their oil. When they were pouring the stuff into the engine, Stanley acknowledged Chrome and Ukyo approaching the boat. With them was another boy, he was also a familiar face from back in South America.

”Is it safe to bring Soldier with us, Senku?” The archer eyed the cat with concern. “Cat’s and water don’t go well together.” Said feline internally agreed. His tolerance of water wasn’t as good as when he was a human, but getting wet is no big deal, just a little uncomfortable. He can still swim, and Stan highly doubts Senku or anyone else in this group would just let him fall off. He was in safe hands. 

“Do I smell a love potion? Did you find a girl you like, Senku?” Taiju started brightly as the smell of petroleum entered his nose. He didn’t seem to notice how everybody else was looking at him, unsure what he was even referring to. Chrome was the first to break the silence, mostly because he has no idea what a love potion even was.

”You’ll have to elaborate, dear Taiju.” After hearing what Gen said, Stan noted that name to memory. Turns out that the magician didn’t make Taiju up after all. But, the boy wasn’t around Senku that much. It made Stan wonder what kind of relationship he and Senku has. Were they as close as Gen had said back then? Xeno was completely convinced back then too, not something he would normally do. 

[Did he already know about Taiju? Was the boy a childhood friend of Senku’s?] The two were definitely casual with each other, but Senku tends to treat everybody with the same easygoing attitude after a trust has been formed. Though as he watched Taiju reminisced about what the love potion was, Stan could confirm that the boy did go to the same school as the albino, they were even together on the day they got petrified. Apparently Senku had given Taiju a “love potion” to give him courage to confess to a girl he liked. The scientist just laughed his butt off when he revealed the the stuff he gave Taiju was actually gasoline. [Wouldnt drinking gasoline kill him? Maybe Senku is like Xeno after all.] Stan concluded that Senku is subtly evil and cruel. But that’s okay, he was used to crazy scientists. May as well be the feline’s preferred type. The silver tabby isn’t even surprised to hear that the teen was able to make gasoline from bottle caps.

“Hmph! You mean to tell me that the last bit of science you in the old world was making gasoline?” Ryusui stepped up confidently. His brown eyes meeting senku’s red, a mutual respect was shared between their gaze. “Now, in our new world...we’ve finally caught back up to that point. And we're about to go beyond!!” Stan unconsciously smiled at the blond. There wasn’t much he thought of Ryusui for before, but the more he got to see the rich, sailor brat, the more he couldn’t deny that he was someone worthy of his respect and admiration. 

The moment he took a seat in the boat, Senku felt his feline friend immediately hopped onto his laps. The others excitedly scurried aboard. The four sped off the shores at a quick speed, Senku made sure to grab Ukyo’s wrist as they went, pulling the archer that failed to board on time along for the ride. 

Ryusui gave off a haughty laugh from he stood. Enjoying the feeling of the salty wind blowing back his blond locks. “This gasoline is our ticket outta Japan and into the uncharted new world! To the great, briny blue on a boat of science!!” They all had massive, excited grins. None of the five showed anything but enthusiasm at the prospect of Ryusui’s words. Their Kingdom of Science was ready to face the unknown on the other side of the world.

It wasn’t as bad as he thought, Stan didn’t feel as jumpy despite being a cat out in the middle of a vast ocean. He actually kind of like the feeling of droplets of water occasionally splashing on his face and the wind blowing through his fur. There was a surge of adrenaline in his veins as they drove smoothly through open water. It felt like all the times he spent driving a fighter plane, just with lower altitudes. Stan wanted to lean over the side for a better look at the water below, but he felt hands around his torso pulling him away from the edge. He only smirked at the boy’s overprotectiveness. It was a nice test drive, if only the lying rat wasn’t sitting so close to him. Stan made sure to glare a few times at Gen, who was sitting right behind them, enough to bother the mentalist and kept him a good distance away.

Honestly, out of the five boys, in terms of how much he can tolerate them, the highest would be Senku, then Ukyo, then Ryusui and Chrome, and last would be Gen. Ukyo was a reasonable, down to earth kind of guy, he doesn’t bother Stanley at all, which the tabby greatly appreciates. Ryusui and Chrome were ambitious and he can respect them for that, but they tend to treat him as a defenseless cat sometimes. Stan hasn’t been able to overlook any of Gen’s lies, so he still hated the dual-haired man for making a fool of him. Senku, who he should’ve hated the most, was his only comfort and safe person right now. Stan never felt alone around the scientist, the boy never undermined him, and is the most cautious out of everybody here when it comes to the tabby cat, and yet he still gave Stanley his compassion like he did for his other friends when his loyalty isn’t even confirmed. Unfortunately being around Senku usually entails having at least one of the four other boys.

Chrome was pretty excited being out in open waters for the very first time. The primitive boy couldn’t stop watching in awe as the horizon continuously stretched into the big, blue sea. With little to no time, the land they came from had disappeared. And that was when Chrome realized the severity of traveling out at sea.

”I’m not even sure which direction we came from... Can we make it back? And the plan is to eventually go like a thousand times this far? This ocean is some baaad stuff!!”

Ryusui stood up at that moment, causing the boat to rock. Chrome gave out a soft squeal when he almost fell overboard. Stan hissed when a large splash of water hit his face and made his fur wet. Senku stroke his back trying to calm him down and hopefully discouraging the cat from biting Ryusui. “Hmph! Not to fear the sextant is here!”

”Didn’t dear Senku-Chan claim it’s accuracy was trash?” Gen sounded unconvinced at the idea of relying on a such a primitive device to guide them. Stan knew he wasn’t wrong, relying on a sextant to travel over the Pacific Ocean is practically suicide. But the feline did remember that the Perseus had a gps, radar and sonar in its control room, so clearly they were going to be fine, even if the devices were pretty old fashion. 

Stan was pretty smug, though nobody noticed, when the next thing Senku said was, “We’re all going to be risking our lives on that first real voyage, so we need a ten billion percent accurate way to track our coordinates! We’re making a GPS!” The way they responded to that was hilarious, the feline couldn’t help but chuckle lightly to their dumbstruck looks. Hearing the albino spit out something like that sounded impossible to the modern people, except Stan, he was used to being around Xeno and his crazy contraptions. Chrome was the only person that remained clueless. Senku had to then explained how back in the past, satellites were used by people to send signals for navigation purposes. Chrome understood nothing of that and Gen injected about how satellites were not possible.

“Darn right! So instead of using satellites up in space we’re gonna shoot out crazy strong radio waves from a tower back on the mainland!” Speaking of satellites, Stan was reminded of the parchment he found back in storehouse in Ishigami Village. He almost forgot about it. Icy-blue eyes looked up at Senku, he should bring up the topic with Senku eventually, maybe once the ship was finish with construction. 

To check the effectiveness of their radio tower, Ukyo was placed in charge of manning the antenna. The signal’s direction and intensity would be used to calculate their location, as explained by Senku. The archer commented that it was so analog that it felt homemade.

“Have you found your bearings, sailors?” The feline’s ears perked up as he heard a familiar voice, though a little hard to identify due to the static. It was Ruri calling them.

“Yup! We’re in business!!” Chrome replied back enthusiastically. Stan could make out some kind of conversation going on the opposite line between Ruri and somebody else. It was something about a confession? The silver tabby narrowed his eyes at the brown-haired boy and smirked.

[So Ruri likes Chrome? Interesting.] Stan didn’t really take Chrome for the romantic type. He was enthusiastic like Senku when it comes to science, and he talks a lot about rocks too, but not much else. [Also, he seems pretty dense when it comes to feelings.] Still, he did think it would be interesting to see his reaction. Would he blush? Start stammering like a high-school girl? When it sounded like Ruri was about to confess, Stan leaned closer, wanting to hear more, but the call was interrupted. A loud burst of sound rung from the phone, it sounded like static. It was sooo loud that it made the cat’s sensitive ears ring, Stan unintentionally dug his claws into Senku’s lap. The boy hissed as he tried to calmly pry the paws off. The sound started to then even out, instead tuning into a repetitive, high-pitch tapping of some sort.

”That’s not static. But how...?” Ukyo’s eyes were blown wide, his complexion a little pale. Stanley swallowed when he realized what the teen was referring to. Something was out there. “We just got a strong signal from somewhere. But it’s too saturated to tell the direction.” The revelation dawned on all of them. They all immediately piped up, voicing their own enquiries. Senku was able to quickly deduce that it was not a natural cause. This was a respond to when they had blasted their radio waves, meaning there was somebody out there with technology advanced enough to identify Senku and his friends.

[Wait! This happened before, back in the past... Xeno mentioned this.] Yeah, if his memory serves him right, they did receive some unknown signal back in America once. The signal was left unidentified and was pushed to the side as there were no other phenomenon occurring after it. [That was a little over a year before Senku had come to Japan.] There were still somethings that didn’t quite add up for the former military man. He payed close attention to what was coming out from the phone. 

“Huh?! Could that be morse code?!” Gen wasn’t wrong. Stanley could recognize that sound pattern anywhere. Whoever this person was was definitely trying to reach them. What was troubling him the most was who exactly it was directed at. And why these words? 

”It’s a message for us!” Senku stated. His body shaking a little under the feline. Stanley briefly glanced at the boy, concern by his change in composure.

[Is Senku scared?] That face was almost blank. The cat could tell he shaking, but doesn’t know why. Blue eyes took notice of the scientist’s lips twitching slightly and an unknown gleam entering those red eyes. [Senku...?]

“Wait! Hold on, they’re repeating the same string over and over again.” Gen struggled to properly decode the message due to the quality of the signal picked up. “Um...w, I think? Then h...”

”WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY”

”...Where’s this coming from?!” Ukyo held the phone close. He couldn’t pinpoint the source, not even an estimate direction, at all. “These intense radio waves are a Morse coded message!!” Chrome immediately started shouting for this hidden person to show themselves and that they were being annoying. Everybody else on the boat were equally confused and uncertain what this all meant. Stanley was so deep in thought, he barely registered the hands lifting him off of his sitting position and handing him over to Ukyo.

”Hey, it’s you, right? The mastermind behind the petrification!” The boy knelt down to the speaker, hands shaking in excitement as he held it up close and personal. A wide, Cheshire grin broke out across his face as his eyes gleamed with renewed determination. It was almost intimidating in Stanley’s opinion. Senku looks like an absolute psycho. It was kind of impressive. “Heh heh heh... I’ve been dying to meetcha. Been waiting 3700 long years, in fact. So GET EXCITED!!” That sent chills down his spine. The feline could feel the adrenaline riding through his system, egged on by everyone word those lips spat out. This boy was far from afraid!

🐾🐾🐾

[The five wise generals, huh? That’s their name.] The silver tabby, gracefully hopped onto the table, which displayed their newly acquired map of Japan. He strutted confidently over to Senku’s side and sat there. [Quite a fitting title for these boys.] It makes sense. This was where Senku truly diverge from Xeno’s ideology, his faith in the individual abilities and opinions of others. While Stan’s childhood friend would prefer to rule unquestioned, bar a few trusted aids, including Stanley himself, Senku has on many accounts leaned on the voices of his friends, especially these four. Even though it is as clear as day that his opinions and decisions were held to a higher standard the others is due to him being the most trusted in his field and is always willing to take the initiative. That was proven further when he responded fearlessly to the unknown contacter.

Stan sat there, listening as they did a rerun of the day humanity was turned to stone. Ryusui had a theory that this “Whyman”, had probably petrified themselves as they couldn’t have lived for over 3700 years. Chrome was still skeptical whether this person should be considered an enemy, at that moment, Stan felt a pair of eyes on him. He knew exactly who said person was, but only look back at them with a relaxed smirk on his face. Senku explained to Chrome that he might potentially be right, but there was more for them to lose if they didn’t take precautions for a possible enemy. Again, those eyes fell to Stanley briefly. 

[Are you warning me, Senku...? Am I supposed to be scared?] He mentally chuckled, but didn’t completely toss aside the risk of falling out of d’avoir with the scientist. The teen was merely reminding him that he wasn’t out of the woods just yet. A few bonding moments wasn’t enough for him to be fully trusted. Stan expected this, after all, Senku was a genius equivalent to Xeno. Which was something he would’ve never accept or acknowledge in the past, but now this is undeniable. [Good to know that you’re not so easily swayed. You’re not as naive as I originally thought.]

Gen reasoned that it was safe to assume that the Whyman is a hostile entity for the time being, since they ignored Senku’s provocation and the message ended there. Stan swished his tail mindlessly, deep in thought. Back in America, this matter was not treated as very important, it wasn’t disregarded entirely, they just chose to focus on building up their military power first and foremost. But now that he is thinking about it more thoroughly and with the information he is getting from being on Senku’s side of the story, this message of “Why” seemed to be an actual response to the junior science team radio waves. In his timeline, the signals had come at a very random time, completely out of nowhere, which made little sense. Xeno had America develope far more advanced means of communication than Senku a long time ago, in their earliest year of being depetrified actually, but they had no interference. Maybe this Whyman had petrified themselves like Ryusui said and only recently broke free, Maybe that’s why they are only noticing that there are survivors now. [Or...is this a personal attack against Senku? There’s too little to go off on!]

”This unknown entity... Where are they? How will they come at us? It’s an invisible enemy.” Ukyo pulled his hat down a little. Even if he was not trying to show it, the others could hear the tension in his words. This matter can’t be taken lightly. “We’re in a tight spot!!”

“BINGO!!” As if a lightbulb had literally lit up in his mind, Senku loudly spoke out of nowhere. “Heh heh he... This makes things simple. We’ve just got to see this invisible enemy...with the eyes of science!” The boy confidently strolled out of the tactics chamber. His four friends was left to follow the scientist in confusion. Stan sat still for a good while, opting to stay even as the last of the generals had left the room. He couldn’t quite get the thought out of his mind. Was Whyman specifically going after their group? Why? What made them a bigger threat than America? Was it because of Senku? 

[Senku...] The feline felt his heart ache a little. His life could be threaten, and yet the look on the boy’s face as he walked out was one of confidence and without fear. The way he had behaved on the boat, challenging the Whyman instead of fearing them like the others were momentarily. [When I shot him back in America...] When Senku hid, Stan knew exactly where the boy had gone for cover, but thinking back to that day, he remembered shooting the boy when his was a little out in the open. [Was he even trying to hide? Did he actually faced the billet head on...?] No way, right?! Stan knew that he shot down Senku, he assumed that he survived was because the bullet may have gotten him in an area where the damage wasn’t fatal, but... [If he did face it head on, then how did he survive? And why?...Why would you do that, Senku? Weren’t you afraid of dying...? Just what made you so brave?] Pushing those thoughts aside for the time being, Stanley shook off his concerns and leaped off the table and out of the tactics chamber. He made his way out to find the boy that was earning more and more of his respect and admiration the longer he spent time with Stanley. Honestly, the feline doesn’t even know if he hated Senku anymore, he doesn’t know if he can ever hate Senku again after all of this.


	10. Ikigai

Stanley doesn’t remember fish ever tasting this good before. Maybe it was just because Francois made it, that person is an actual god of culinary cuisines. He’s not sure if he can ever go back to eating military rations ever again, not after knowing having such divine food. Thanks to the radar Senku made, the five wise generals had returned to shore with a massive haul of fish. They didn’t have anything on the Whyman, but this outcome was still good. That day, everybody had quite the feast. Senku allowed Stanley to be pretty spoiled with his share of food, but that the tabby cat was complaining. He was very satisfied with his meal and decided to go out for a walk to help himself digest. That and the silver tabby had some things he wanted to think about, without having his thoughts getting interrupted by Ginro’s perverted tendencies. Though it’s amusing to watch the blond get scorned by everybody else, he deserved it. Even Stanley can’t tolerate that level of indecency.

The silver tabby was able to slip away from everybody else rather easily. Senku was too busy talking to Kaseki about building the engine for their ship and the problem being their lack of iron and the money for buying oil. Honestly, the oil could wait, they can still some how get Ryusui to cough up some more cash at a later date, but the engine can’t be delayed or their entire voyage might be put on hold for too long, winter is already going to end up slowing their pace. The current method of gathering iron sand from the river won’t cut it, they needed mountains more. Stan can’t really do much about that, he just hopes Senku gets something in order, because if things were progressing like his original timeline, it would take them almost two years from now to get to America, which is not a long wait, but is still considerably short considering all the other tasks piling up for the junior science team.

Stan wandered around the base, immersing himself to his thoughts. The feline couldn’t quite get the events on the boat, when they had finished making a radar, from his head. The conversation he heard between Gen and Ukyo, he was trying to wrap his head around what the two boys had said. It was pretty impressive for a bunch of kids who were so spooked from the mysterious message only moments ago brush it off so easily. Gen had literally said that solving the petrification mystery and finding the Whyman could even be fun. Like the possibility of dying was insignificant. Stan could never forget how Ukyo said that if the message was meant to threaten and ward them off then Whyman was at a complete lost. Because Senku would just laugh it off, as that is the kind of man he is. The feline had to agree with the mentalist there, Senku was not someone who would easily break. That coded message did nothing but motivate the boy, and now he found a way to lift the spirits of his allies too, despite their prior feelings of distraught and fear.

He thought he had him figured out, but the more he saw of the young scientist the more he realized that he knew nothing at all. The concept, the mental image he had created for himself of Senku was solely based off of what he’s heard from Xeno and what his bias had assumed the boy to be. He thought Senku was a nuisance, a lucky, arrogant, meddlesome, annoying brat that acted high and mighty just because he was a little smarter than everybody else. After spending a couple of weeks as the boy’s pet, Stanley started to see bits of his childhood friend in the albino. He saw Senku as intelligent, dedicated, ambitious and confident, but he believed that his soft heart held him back. How wrong the silver tabby was, Senku may be compassionate, yet he was far from naive.

He wasn’t necessarily forgiving and trusting of everybody, rather he was confident that in other people’s humanity, why else would Stan be allowed to wander freely and promised to be taken to America with no strings attached? Senku knew little about him, but treated the feline as an equal regardless. When Stan chased him in South America, he thought the boy was a coward that can only run. He was undoubtedly wrong about that too, the scientist was not afraid to take great risks for greater benefits, never afraid to take the initiative when his allies were in doubt. It’s no wonder everybody follows him so willingly. The feline hasn’t forgotten what happened back on the Perseus, right before the boy had sped past them and out of North America, the amount of faith they all had in each other. Stanley’s bond with Xeno was just as strong, but they’ve been together since they were children. These kids had only known each other for a little over a year and their numbers were over a hundred. For Senku to be able to instill that kind of faith in each and everyone of them...

[Come on, don’t do this to me man... You just can’t leave me like this!] All Stanley ever thought about in his life was his missions, his best friend and himself. But now, his thoughts were being dominated by a kid he should hate with every fiber of his being. What’s worse is that these thoughts are not fueled by anger and hatred. It was encouraged by his admiration, respect and unfamiliar fondness for Senku. No matter how much he tried to reason with himself, all his attempts just felt like a lie or self-delusion, which he should be above of doing. It was increasingly hard to even remember what his hatred for the boy was supposed to feel like, all thoughts of Senku at its worst, which is normally when he talks about Tsukasa, can only spur on a smidgen of irritation in the feline’s formally cold, cruel heart. His friends are no better, it was hard not to respect each one of them for their dedication to their crafts. [As if getting attach to the leader of your enemy wasn’t bad enough. What cruel joke...] He made a mental note of Senku’s most dangerous ability, being able to win over the hearts of people just by simply existing. [A truly terrifying power.]

He wanted some time to himself and away from Senku, no matter how much he secretly desires to go back have his torn ear get scratched at from behind. The silver tabby stalked up to one of the huts, his blue eyes having caught movements inside. Out of curiosity, Stanley walked to the entrance and sat right in front of it. He took in the image of a familiar back, one that belong to a certain brown-haired scientist he has seen a lot of ever since he joined this kiddie science club. The silver tabby silently observed as Chrome tinkered with pieces of their new radar. He would be concern that the boy would break the equipment had it not been Chrome specifically. The boy was born in a primitive world, yet he took in Senku’s scientific knowledge in much faster than the majority of the modern folks. Stan can easily tell that he was genius, even if the teen occasionally acts like an idiot. He was far more reactive than Senku to insults that’s for sure. Funny how Chrome had yet to acknowledge the fact that he was being watched, Stanley wasn’t even trying to hide. The boy was just too busy with dabbling with the radar to bother with his surroundings.

The moment he held the equipment over a basket of ore, the display screen beeped. This caused Chrome to light up instantly, screaming “THIS WILL WORK REAL BAAAD!” Stan flinched from the volume that reached his sensitive ears. He already had trouble hearing from his right ear, the former soldier did not need both his ears destroyed. Chrome, meanwhile, had began packing a bunch of stuff into a large pack, including the radar and phone he just disassembled. Just as the boy was going to sped out the room, he stumbled in his steps after noticing the silver-striped cat sitting in the centre of the doorway. Icy-blue eyes staring, unblinking, at him quizzically.

”S-Soldier?! Hey! I’m going on a treasure hunt. Want to come with?” Before Stan could even properly think of an answer, he was hastily picked up into the teen’s arms. Chrome quickly layer him on top of his already massive, heavy rucksack on his back. “LET’S GO!! This baaad Chrome, Soldier duo is ready to find ourselves some treasures for the Kingdom of Science!” Real talk, Stan could’ve simply jumped off anytime he so desired. But he didn’t, the cat was genuinely curious to see what Chrome was up to. The boy was a pretty dedicated and trustworthy friend to Senku, so it’s unlikely that he was going to be dilly dally all day long. No, Chrome said he was looking for treasure then that’s exactly what he’s going to do.

[But what exactly is this treasure you want to find so badly?] Stan doubts that it’s going to be the type if treasure people generally refer to. No, it must be something they currently need, the boy did say it was for the Kingdom. What does Senku really needed right now? [Iron! But where is Chrome going to find that much of the stuff?] Japan was not America, not only the landscape, the resources available here were also different. Stanley was pretty unfamiliar with this kind of knowledge. He did trust Chrome to have a better grasp of the land than he did though.

Which turns out to be true as the boy sped through the area with a clear destination in mind. Chrome was more active and had more stamina than Stan originally thought, had Xeno or Senku travel the same distance at the same speed the brown-haired had today, they would both undoubtedly keeled over without making it halfway through. Perks of being born in the Stone world he supposed. The boy and cat arrived, after a somewhat long trek, to a bare mountainside. They approached a cave opening found near the summit. Chrome was very excited as he began to unload some of the stuff off his back, preparing to bring in the necessary minimum. The silver tabby gracefully moved off the luggage and waited for the boy to finish setting up everything for their little exploration.

”This place sure brings back memories. It’s the summit where we first harnessed lightning.” Stan tilted his head in confusion. Chrome, who didn’t care that he was talking to a cat, which he doesn’t know actually could understand him, kept rambling on as they entered the cave. “Oh, right! You weren’t here when that happened. See Ruri was sick with pneumonia for a really long time, like since we were little kids actually, so when Senku came we had to make the sulfa-drug! It was the hardest thing we made! All the bad science stuff we made just to get there, so much fun!” 

The feline closely paid attention to the boy as he took them deeper into the caves. His curiosity was highly piqued when Ruri was brought up. From the little amount of time he has spent with her, Stan had grown to appreciate her. She was a far preferable companion then any other girls he’s come across as a cat so far. Ruri was kind and respectful to Stan even though she doesn’t know that he wasn’t just a simple cat. [To think she had pneumonia, in this stone world even. Ruri should’ve died, even back in modern times that kind of disease has a mortality rate of five to ten percent within a thirty day timespan. How many years did she had to endure living with that illness?!] The words Ruri had said about owing Senku her life made so much sense now. She was lucky, not only because Senku made her a cure, the girl must’ve been suffering from unbearable pain for years, and yet the young lady he saw wasn’t any younger than eighteen. Her appearance and character suggested that she was a delicate and soft hearted individual. [These kids never stops surpassing my expectations, I guess. Heh. No, I’m at fault for underestimating them...] 

The silver tabby stared up at the boy walking besides him. There was so much he didn’t know about the junior science team. If Ruri, the person who seemed to be the least likely to have any issues, the woman practically gave off angelic vibes, had endured a life threatening illness for years, then what about everyone else? What were their stories? The teen was a dedicated to science he can tell, and very curious too, considering he was embarking on this little search without any help from Senku.

Chrome hasn’t stopped talking at all. Apparently one of the things they needed to make then was a generator, which required a magnet. Stan was pretty impressed with the Kohaku in his story and how she had caught the lightning, the girl was definitely skilled no doubt about that. He definitely wants to know more about what happened now. Maybe Chrome will tell him or if not, he can just ask Senku.

”If I remember correctly, which I do as I am Chrome, the science-user, this was the same place that I first found that piece of iron.” The teen took out what looked to be a modified version of their radar. “I rigged the radar and it seems to be reacting to this magnetic iron. We should be able to find more here, right?!” With that in mind, the boy began to poke the device all over the cave, looking for some kind of response. He checked everywhere, the ceiling, the floor, every little nook and cranny, Stan following him closely. The tabby cat tried to assist by sniffing the place, trying to catch the slightest scent of metal, but found none so far, just rocks.

It was already an entire morning gone since they had first entered the cave. The boy and cat were exhausted, they sat against the wall of the cavern to take a moment and catch their breaths. There was nothing near the cave entrance, meaning they would need to go even deeper, which is far too risky with only one man. It would be best if they go back, maybe ask the others for help, that was what Stan believed. But then, a hand was suddenly stroking his back, the feline turned to face Chrome questionably. He was making a weird face, it reminded Stanley of the way the boy reacted back on the hot air balloon, after he had found out that the Earth was round. Sweat decorated his features, his breaths came off in heavy huffs, exhaustion was evident, and yet he was smiling. Chrome looks satisfied, even though they didn’t achieve anything so far, he still looks pleased with himself. The feline was a little concern about his state of mind, he was clearly tired from scanning the cave from top to bottom.

”This...This is hard, but fun, don’t you think Soldier?” Stan just blinked, clearly he doesn’t get what the boy was referring to. “Science is hard. Everything Senku teaches me is hard and confusing, I don’t even know what he’s talking about half the time. But...it’s the most fun I’ve ever had. I want to see so many more baaad science stuff. This petrification thing, I really want to learn more about it. That’s why we need to get iron, make a ship and get to America. I’m so excited, I really can’t wait...” Chrome struggled to stand up with the little energy he had left. Blue eyes watched his form warily as he staggered over to the edge of a ravine. A little too close for comfort. The tabby stood up in alert, ready to to move if Chrome does anything stupid.

“I’ll check here next... You know, Soldier, I’ve done a lot of exploring since I was a little kid, playing around in caves and collecting all kinds of rocks. Everybody in the village thought I was pretty weird and they called the things I do sorcery.” He gave a small humorless chuckle. “I actually used to call myself a genius sorcerer actually. I kept on finding so many cool new things outside the village, I was really confident that one day I’d be able to find something I could use to save Ruri if I kept looking, keep my promise to cure her no matter what. That was my life goal. Her dad, the old village chief, really disapproved of it all. Says sorcery was dangerous. Nobody really believed me, until Senku came that is.” Even though all he could see was the teen’s back, Stan could tell just from his voice that Chrome was smiling. Blue eyes softened a little, keeping quiet out of respect and waiting patiently for him to finish story. Stan wasn’t very normal either when he was younger, there were a lot of people who were intimidated by his knowledge on guns. He was a bit of a loner until Xeno came along. Senku must’ve made Chrome felt normal, no special, that he stuck to his desires despite the scrutiny he grew up with. “Who would’ve thought that all the rocks I collected could give us so much? My life’s work wasn’t so stupid after all. We saved Ruri thanks to science. Now I want to save the seven billion statues too! With Senku’s science...and mine’s. This is my new life goal, and... I know we can do it. Because I’m Chrome, a scientist!” Blue eyes stick to the boy’s form, mulling his words over. That was tall order to fill. Hearing it from Senku is okay, Stan has come to adapt to that type of craziness, it was just a little crazier than Xeno’s world domination plan though. But hearing it from a boy who only knew science for two years, that puts it on another level of crazy. Still, he sounded so sure, so certain in not only Senku’s abilities and his own as well. Having talent is rare, it can lead to arrogance, Stanley knows that he’s a prime example of that. It can make you look down on others, but here, in Senku’s group, all he saw was the desire to grow. They made their pride look like a virtue. It kind of made him want to try harder too, as a better soldier and a better friend. Not just to Xeno, he actually wanted to give more to Senku, even if it sounded crazy. Everybody here was supposed to be dependant on Senku, instead Senku is more like a catalyst for everyone to aim higher and seek self-development. It was inspiring, to put it in simple terms.

[Was this what you meant when you warned me about this kingdom of yours being able to move forward even without you, Senku?] All he needed to do was watch them work, being their normal, everyday self and already does he realizes just what kind of people the Kingdom of Science consisted of. The kind of people he can never turn a blind eye on, one he can’t help but respect and admire. Stanley actually enjoyed their company, he actively seeks out Senku’s company even. It was very alarming. [An enemy is scariest when their power makes you want to be their friend instead.]

The feline sat back, smiling fondly at the brown-haired boy. He may hate succumbing to his emotions, since he was supposed to be a professional, a Stone-hearted killer, but the things he’s been feeling lately... He just can’t stop, how can he ever call any of this a bad thing? It made him warm in ways he rarely ever felt, he was enjoying himself, minus the occasional heart attacks Senku like to instigate, and the fact that it’s been happening so often must mean that what he’s doing now was good. Right? Chrome’s unwavering determination despite his harsh circumstances was something to marvel at, no arguments. The boy worked like a professional, even if it was all new to him. His improvising had already surpassed many of the great minds in modern times.

Meanwhile, as Chrome lowered the radar down further, brown eyes widened when he saw a quick response on the display screen. In his anticipation, the boy immediately work to lower the radar down the ravine using a piece of bamboo and some rope. He could feel it, vibrations faintly pressing into his palms from the radar to the rope. “Baaad! It’s tricky work, but totally fun. Like another real-life treasure hunt!” The display screen hummed to life, picking up something from deep in the ground. A bright, Cheshire grin broke out on his face, lighting those brown eyes with immediate joy and a sense of accomplishment. Chrome punched his fist into the air from the heat of the moment, the adrenaline filling his blood was too much for him to remain still despite his prior exhaustion. 

Stan felt his pulse quicken when Chrome staggered forward, body leaning in the direction of the ravine. He immediately leaped into action, arriving by the boy’s side in a matter of seconds. The feline took hold of his pant’s leg into his mouth and tugged back hard. It was either because Chrome had the physics of a twig or because Stan was stronger than an average cat, but the silver tabby was able to pull the teen back before he could fall over to his doom. The boy landed roughly on his back, the feline had moved out of the way in time to not be crushed beneath him. Without paying a single mind to the danger he was just in, Chrome laid still, smiling like an idiot at the cave ceiling. A couple of chuckles left him a few times. He was just so happy.

”We did it... Heh heh heh, We actually frickin did it!!” Stan observed the boy celebrated from where he laid. He was a little confused, he didn’t really do much and why wasn’t Chrome bothered by the fact that he almost died just now? How can he just laugh it off like that? The cat moved towards the boy’s head and hovered right above his face. Their eyes meeting at the middle. Chrome smiled dazedly at the feline’s bemused look. As if his smile was contagious, Stanley felt his lips twitching from amusement at the boy’s happy go lucky attitude. “Thanks for saving me, I owe you one...” The former soldier did nothing to stop the boy’s hand that reached over and booped his nose. A little irritated, but above all else, amused. Though Stanley would admit that he was pretty tempted to bite that finger clean off Chrome’s hand.

It took Chrome a little while to collect himself and get back on his feet. He regathered all their equipment and began packing it all back up. “Thanks again for coming with me, we make a pretty good team, you and I. Wait till Senku sees what we find. This is definitely going to help our kingdom, I know it will!” Stan shook his head, laughing a little to himself at the enthusiasm he was seeing. Senku sure has a lot of interesting people around him, Chrome was a pretty special one too. He found a reliable right hand. This boy was practically bornes to be a scientist. From what he has learnt about the primitive scientist to time they had spent searching for iron to saving Chrome from certain death, the feline did not regret accompanying the boy on this treasure hunt. Stanley was pretty excited himself when they finally made the call to contact Senku and everyone else about their findings. 

[Guess I really am a part of this kiddie Kingdom of Science now.] If he was going to be trapped with here with his soon-to-be enemies for another the year before their war, it would be smart to maintain distance. It was the most reasonable thing to do, but... [Reasons be damned.] At least for now, as a member of the Kingdom of Science, he will make it his goal to assist Senku and everyone else in any way he can, for his benefit and theirs as well.


End file.
